


There Will Be No Foolish Wand Waving

by Kgfinkel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Pre-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 116,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27453535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kgfinkel/pseuds/Kgfinkel
Summary: Petunia Evans always wanted to be just like Lily. The thought of learning magic would make her giddy with excitement. However a rejection letter from the headmaster of Hogwarts blew that dream out the window. What would've happened instead if the wife of the owner of Flourish and Blott's had taken a bit of pity and shown Petunia that you didn't need a wand to do magic?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Comments: 25
Kudos: 112





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> At the time of creation, this was my Magnus Opus; in some ways, it still is. There are two parts to this story; Book 2 picks up immediately AFTER Book 1 so there's no need to go looking for it (or dropping me a message asking if I plan on writing it.)
> 
> Also, the GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE happens (or is alluded to) in Book 2.

**Summer of 1971, Diagon Alley, London**

"Petunia! Talk to me, I'm still your sister! What did I do to make you angry at me?" a tearful Lily Evans pleaded to her big sister.

With a huff of annoyance, Petunia Evans turned back to her younger sister and the tightness in her shoulders loosened a bit.

Sighing, "Nothing, Lily. _You_ didn't do anything and I'm sorry for being such a grump. It's that headmaster of that school you're going to. He sent me a rejection letter saying that while my interest in attending the school was a pleasant thought, being non-magical or a 'muggle' as he called me, wouldn't allow me to fully experience their world."

"S-so you're not mad at me, just the magical world?"

Shaking her head no and smirking sadly at the second half of the question caused her little sister to break out in smiles once again. The two sisters entered the bookstore called 'Flourish and Blott's' on a hidden street called 'Diagon Alley.'

"You realize how silly the name of this alley sounds, Lily?"

"Ummm…no?"

"Diagon Alley? Diagonally?"

Lily's eyes widen and a snort of amusement escaped her nose. The two of them shook their heads at the craziness that Lily would be joining and entered the shop. Rows upon rows of books, as far as the eye could see lined the shelves just waiting to be picked up, read and learned from.

With a squeal of happiness, Lily rushed in and headed up to the desk to find out where the first year textbooks would be located. Petunia on the other hand, morosely browsed some of the titles near the cashier machine.

"Something the matter dear?" Petunia looked up to see the shopkeeper's wife looking at her with a sympathizing smile on her face.

"I can't go to Hogwarts like my sister. I don't have magic apparently."

"Oh pish! There are plenty of other things to read that will still allow you to practice magic…just without the wand waving."

The look of hope crept into Petunia's eyes, "Really? Like what? How would I be able to study them without needing a school and a teacher?"

Waving her over, the missus whispered in a conspiratorial way, "You just need to write to the Ministry and explain that you will be home-schooled and need the corresponding information packet. Mention that you are a 'hedge-witch' and that you won't be able to take the usual wanded courses and need the abbreviated curriculum."

"What's a hedge-witch?"

"That's someone whose magic is just powerful enough to allow them to see the magical parts of Britain and wield a wand but not strong enough to be accepted to Hogwarts. Nothing to be ashamed my dear, I'm one as well."

"What sorts of subjects are there for someone like us?"

Waving her arm about her the missus gestured about the store, "Just about any topic you can think of and even some you can't. Business, Law, Muggle Studies, Arithmancy, even Potions and that's just off the top of my head."

"With enough study, you could earn a Mastery in just about any topic. Best of all, once you pass the basic courses outlined in the abbreviated curriculum, you can specialize in things that catch your fancy. Myself, I took Business courses so I could help my husband run this bookstore."

Petunia's eyes widened as she realized that while her magical schooling wouldn't be in a fancy castle in the Scottish Highlands, she could 'attend' her classes in her pajamas while enjoying all of the modern non-magical comforts. _'Lily's gonna freak out when she learns about this!'_

* * *

Sure enough, Lily was excited about Petunia's prospects and opportunities to learn the non-wand subjects. The silliness of wearing pajamas to 'magic class' made her laugh. Petunia wrote to the Ministry for Magic's Department of Education and requested the curriculum that Mrs. Flourish had suggested. A week before the start of the new school year, a witch from said department arrived at the Evans' house to introduce herself as Petunia's proxy and to give her the first of her assigned materials and lessons.

* * *

**Wednesday 1 September 1971**

"Lily! Hurry up and get ready or you'll be late for the train!" yelled her mother, Marigold Evans to her youngest daughter before turning around to smile at her eldest who was sitting on the couch in the living room reading a textbook of all things.

"Good reading there, Tuni?"

Petunia Evans looked up to see her mother standing in front of her with a quizzical expression on her face and smiled back a little sheepishly.

"Yes, mum. I'm excited for this dual education thing that I'm going to be part of. It's a shame that I can't go to Hogwarts like Lily but at least I'll be home to help out around here when you and Dad need it."

Marigold smiled warmly, "I'm happy to hear that and happy to know that you don't hold any animosity towards your sister."

Petunia waved that away dismissively, "It's not her fault that the magical education system is so far behind the times. Besides, I think it's a good thing. I get to learn at my own pace and eventually take the classes that I want to be able to learn. I've read that Hogwarts doesn't offer nearly half the things that can be found in the bookstore."

Marigold harrumphed at that, "Then maybe _you_ can explain to me why we're sending Lily away to what seems to be like a second-rate school?"

Petunia sadly looked down again, "Because we can't afford to hire tutors to come in and teach Lily what she needs to know…"

Marigold joined her eldest on the couch and let her daughter lean into her for comfort, "I know honey. I know…"

* * *

Harold "Harry" Evans honked the car horn to hurry up his tardy brood of girls and they came boiling out of the house in a tumultuous frenzy. Lily's trunk was loaded into the boot and all were strapped into the car. Harry managed to get them down to King's Cross Station with nearly an hour of time to spare and assisted his youngest to the barrier of the magical platform of 9 ¾.

"You sure you have everything, pumpkin?" Harry asked Lily who nodded affirmatively, "Then why don't you go and take your trunk through, get it settled and come back to say goodbye?"

The Evans' watched as Lily guided her trolley through the barrier and disappeared. Harry got curious as they waited and tried to push his way through the supposed brick wall only to discover that he couldn't access the magical platform. With a grunt of disapproval, he turned back and rejoined his wife and eldest daughter.

"Not fair, not fair at all that they expect us to just let our eleven year old child to go on through without parent supervision or even to let us be with her on the biggest day of her life." Marigold just patted his arm consolingly.

Lily reappeared five minutes later all smiles and ran back to her family.

* * *

After the eleven o'clock train departure, the Evans' returned to the car and headed away from the station. Petunia was dropped off at her school and the two adults headed towards the factory to pick up an extra shift to cover what they missed while taking the girls to school. As Petunia entered her classroom, she spotted her best friend Maya Richards.

"Hey, Maya. How are you this morning?"

"Apparently better than you. You look like you just went through a crying fit."

Petunia smiled sadly and sniffed, "My family and I just sent Lily off to a private school up in Scotland. I just got back from the train station."

Maya searched her friend's face, "You going to be okay?" Petunia nodded morosely.

"I just wish I could go to the same school as her but they have _standards_. Lily qualifies because she has a certain…talent that they're looking for but I don't have enough of it."

Maya grunted in sympathy, "Scotland, eh? Sounds like Hogwarts alright."

Petunia's eyes widen comically, her mouth dropped open and her head snapped up as she stared at her best friend who just smirked in response.

"What? You're not the only one around here that has magical family members."

"But…but…how? Who? _Huh?_ " Petunia stammered.

Maya sighed briefly, "I'm a Squib from a half-blood magical family. We're comfortably well off so my father has decided that he will permit me to be educated and live at home until I turn seventeen then I need to leave. It could've been worse, I've heard there are darker families that when they learn their child has no magic, they're forced out into the world and deemed unworthy to acknowledge ever again…or killed outright."

Petunia was flabbergasted to find out that her best friend was actually from a magical family! "Wow, I had no idea, Maya. Truth be told, I found out last month that there's another way for someone like me to be able to still learn magic even though I can't wield a wand."

Maya cocked her head in curiosity, "What way is that?"

Petunia explained how they could take magical correspondence classes through the Ministry for Magic's Department of Education and learn in their spare time. The only time they'd need to go into the magical world was to visit the Ministry to take the class tests and for the OWLs and NEWTs. She told Maya what the wife of the bookstore owner in Diagon Alley had told her about the possibilities there were for those who couldn't afford to go to Hogwarts.

"After looking through the course books and the curriculum, I bet I could get done with the first four years in just two," Petunia declared.

Maya grew excited at the prospects and grabbed her notebook to quickly write down the contact information that Petunia was eager to share.

"This is great! I wonder why no one ever thought to explain this to our families before?" Maya inquired curiously.

Petunia snorted, "Have you seen how outdated and backwards the magical world is in comparison to ours? I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they think we mere _muggles_ aren't even capable of having indoor plumbing. Heck, most of them can't even pronounce 'electricity' correctly!" Both Maya and Petunia dissolved into laughter.

* * *

**Saturday 4 September 1971**

Petunia ambled down the stairs and into the kitchen hungrily looking for breakfast. After grabbing the necessary ingredients, she sat down at the kitchen table and poured herself a bowl of cereal and began slowly munching away before spotting and dragging over one of her textbooks. With barely a glance at the title, she delved into the wonderful world of the "Theory of Magic."

By the time that Marigold and Harry joined Petunia, she had already cleared her breakfast space and was busy scribbling down notes and answering the chapter questions. Petunia just mutely nodded a half-hearted greeting to her parents when they said hello.

Harry grunted in amusement, "Good to see that she's not moping around about the unfairness of the situation."

Marigold smiled as well, "I was glancing through the books as well the day after we got them and I'm thinking that maybe we ought to take a couple of classes as well. Might be beneficial for future use."

Harry cocked his head in contemplation, "What subject would you recommend?

Marigold shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe they have a magical arts and crafts class?"

* * *

Maya showed up at the house later that same day, all squeals and happiness. She explained to Petunia's parents about how she told her parents what Petunia had told her about magical correspondence schooling and how her parents were _thrilled_ at the idea that their daughter could at least be somewhat part of their world. The Evans' adults were surprised to learn that Petunia's best friend was actually a Squib like they were (and wasn't _that_ a revelation when they were examined by that professor who came around to offer Lily a place in the school.) That led to the adults informing both girls about their own status to equal shock and staring before they all burst out laughing.

"Maya, dear," Marigold asked, "Perhaps our two families ought to get to know one another better seeing as how we have so much in common with our children?"

Maya agreed wholeheartedly, "I'll ask them when I go home."

That afternoon, Petunia and Maya were deep in study learning about the theory behind the Charms subjects. While she was busy taking notes, a flitter of an idea popped into Petunia's mind. _'I wonder if there's another way to make things happen if a wand is not available?'_ Grabbing her journal, she quickly jotted down her idea. Maya quirked an eyebrow up at Petunia's mad scribbling but said nothing.

After Charms came the theories for Transfiguration, Herbology and Potions. The Transfiguration stuff was challenging to say the least because there was so much that was referenced to a specific wand movement. Petunia sighed repeatedly as she picked up the wand shaft blank that was given to her by her proctor. It was just another reminder that she'd never really be a part of the magical world no matter how much she wished. It didn't make sense for her to learn the theories for subjects she'd never be able to use.

Herbology and Potions were linked together despite being two different subjects. These however were Petunia's favorites. They gave her a chance to be outside in the fresh air and outside of the stifling quiet inside the house. Maya giggled as she dug into the soil and pulled out an earthworm, which she promptly tried to shove in Petunia's face, only to have said girl squeal in disgust and slapped out of her hands. Petunia retaliated by throwing a handful of soil back at Maya before it quickly degraded into a mud war. The elder Evans' came home to find both girls covered head to toe in mud and debris wearing big, sheepish grins on their faces.

The Potions aspect started after they got cleaned up from the 'Turf War of 1971.' Both girls stood at the stovetop with their cauldrons, wearing flower aprons and protective goggles (Harry insisted) and began to read the instructions before delving into their cache of supplies to pull out the needed ingredients. After thirty minutes of chopping, dicing, grinding and squeezing; they began to brew up a batch of a boil curative paste.

"It's too bad that we don't have anyone to test out this curative on," commented Maya to Petunia who agreed wistfully as they settled down at the kitchen table to begin writing up the paperwork describing the results of their laboratory experiment.

* * *

The Richards family was invited over to share a Sunday brunch with the Evans family so they could get to know each other better. As it turned out, Mr. Tobias Richards owned a couple of companies of manufactured goods that supplied parts to the factory that Harry worked at. This caused of a burst of laughter and opened the pathway to other interesting conversations.

"So how did you find out that you're actually a Squib, Harry?"

Harry grunted in amusement, "That professor that came around to offer Lily a place at the school, a Minerva McGonagall I believe her name was, waved her wand around after I questioned how Lily could be magical and we're not. Something about a magical diagnosis…charm, I think. Anyway, we glowed a pale gold and a number floated above our heads. According to the professor, there's a number threshold that indicates what a person is. A zero indicates a non-magical, up to 100 is a Squib, up to 250 is a hedge-witch/wizard, and then anything past that is a regular magical."

Susan looked puzzled, "What is a hedge-witch?"

Harry shifted a moment as he tried to remember what McGonagall had explained, "A hedge witch is someone who represents the border between a Squib and a full magical. They're magical enough to be able to see the hidden places without the need for a special charm or bracelet but not powerful enough to wield a wand for any practical purposes. They're also not eligible to attend that fancy school of theirs."

Tobias just slowly shook his head in bemusement, "Susan, I wonder if we should take Maya to Saint Mungo's to get her magical number done?" Susan nodded in agreement.

Petunia spoke up then, "I'd like to get my number checked. Professor McGonagall didn't do mine then. I think she was too busy trying to convince mum and dad to let Lily go to Hogwarts."

Tobias turned to the girl, "Now that you're in the home schooling program, what do you hope to achieve in it?"

"Well, I want to see if I can complete the first four years in two if not faster. I mean, I'll be learning at my own pace and won't be bogged down with slower students. After I take that qualifying test…what are they called… OWLs; I want to eventually become trained in something like Potions or maybe something having to do with a job that bridges between the non-magical and magical world to help other squib-born children adjust to their abilities."

Tobias and Susan's eyebrows rose to their hairlines as Petunia laid out some rather ambitious plans.

"With those kinds of ambitions, if you had gone to Hogwarts, I have no doubt they would've placed you in Slytherin House." Petunia just grinned in smug pleasure.

As their brunch date wore down and the Richards were preparing to leave, Susan Richards turned to Petunia while Tobias thanked Harry and Marigold for a wonderful and eye-opening brunch.

"I wanted to say thank you Petunia for suggesting that Maya take part in these abbreviated magical courses," complimented Susan, "It was difficult to watch her try to compensate between her non-magical education and her home life."

"It was my pleasure, Mrs. Richards. At least now I have a study partner to make school easier and less lonely," replied Petunia.

* * *

The three months leading up to Christmas were an exciting time for both Petunia and Maya. Both were extremely busy trying to integrate their magical studies in with their regular ones without letting the non-magical side know about it. There were occasionally a few slips but the girls made an on-the-spot excuse of joining a live-action role-playing group and mistakenly included their write-ups for the group in their homework. Fortunately for them, their teachers fell for it and either admonished them to be more careful or were mildly impressed with the attention to detail.

Petunia found out that of the core classes, she had an affinity for Herbology. Maya joked that it was because the Evans girls were named after flowers to which Marigold and Petunia just grinned. Harry would just snort and shake his head in amusement.

* * *

**Saturday 25 December 1971**

The Evans' home was lively and festively decorated for the holidays. Lily was home after finishing her first term at Hogwarts and she had loads of stories to tell about her classmates and the school itself.

"I can't wait to show off what I can do, Mum!" Lily gushed, "I've gotten all Outstandings on my tests and my Charms teacher says that I'm a natural!"

"That's good to hear, my dear," Marigold replied, "You know what makes me really happy?" Lily shook her head in puzzlement.

"That you and your sister have something in common. Your father and I were afraid that there'd be animosity between you two when you got to go to that fancy school and your sister couldn't."

Both Evans sisters grinned happily at each other.

As the evening wore on, Lily filled her family in on the goings on at the school. She lamented that there was this boy in her House that was a total prat and kept trying to get her attention in some of the most ludicrous ways such as serenading her at dinner or reciting bad poetry at breakfast. Petunia and Marigold thought it was hilarious while Harry tried to look stern but was in fact trying not to laugh.

Petunia snorted, "What about what's-his-face? Severus I think it was?"

Lily grew quiet, "He was sorted to a different House. One where they don't take kindly to people like me." That sobered up the others.

Harry asked concernedly, "Will there be a problem that we should be aware of, Lily?"

Lily shrugged, "I don't know. I'll keep you informed though if anything happens. Right now it's just sneers and sour attitudes."

Marigold spoke up, "If anything happens and I mean anything, you make sure you tell your Head of House. You hear me?"

Lily nodded solemnly.

There was a pause before Petunia broke the silence by bringing up what had been happening in her life both magically and non-magically. Lily was amazed by how much Petunia had been able to learn in only three months compared to what her experiences were like.

"Hey, that's not fair! I want to come home and learn the way Tuni is," Lily jokingly grumped to the amusement of the others.

"Lily, what's really not fair is that you actually get to do the magic to match with the wand movements. I just get to practice the theory and frankly, I don't even know why they require it," Petunia reminded her.

That evening, Petunia was showing off some of her Herbology skills and acquisitions that she'd gotten the last time she was in the Alley. One was a silvery-blue plant that had waving tendrils and the palest translucent blue flowers.

"What is it?" Lily inquired as she examined the plant.

"I'm not exactly sure and neither was the greenhouse owner. All we know is that it grows best in a happy environment. I sing to it and sometimes read to it and it grew into that. I tried being angry at it and it suddenly started wilting. Mum uses it as an indication of what I've been feeling when she comes in to get the laundry."

Lily chuckled, "It's been said that plants do respond to outside influences. Is there really nothing else written about this?"

Petunia shrugged, "Just the basics. Amount of light and water needed, what sort of fertilizer and how much to give it and when. Beyond that, nothing so I've been working on preparing a write-up on it. The greenhouse owner said that if I do a good job on the write-up, he'd help me get it published."

"What about the life-cycle of it? Like, seedling stage or when it'd done flowering?"

"Yup, that's already been documented. I have this small booklet the owner gave me here."

* * *

On Boxing Day, they all had a bit of a lie-in before gathering in the kitchen so the kids could demonstrate their brewing skills and simple wandwork in the case of Lily. Petunia was eyeing Lily's wand and asked if she could at least hold it. Shrugging, Lily handed it over. The moment that Petunia wrapped her hand around the handle, there was a small eruption of red and gold sparks.

"What was _that?!_ " cried Lily. Petunia just shook her head in shocked silence. "Petunia, try saying 'Lumos' while giving the tip an upward sweep."

"Lumos," Petunia said while sweeping the wand tip upwards. To the shock and amazement of everyone there, the tip of the wand lit up. It wasn't very bright, barely a dim glow but it was a steady, warm yellow light.

"Wow," whispered Petunia, "I did wanded magic…" The light sputtered then popped out.

"What does this mean then?" asked their father.

Lily shrugged, "I'm not sure. Maybe later today we could go down to the Ministry and ask questions?" Petunia had such a hopeful look on her face, which blossomed into a large grin when both parents agreed to the suggestion.

* * *

_**Later that same day at the Ministry for Magic, Department of Education…** _

"Hello, I was wondering if you could help us?" began Harry to the desk clerk.

"Yes, sir?"

Harry motioned towards Petunia and told the clerk that she was able to light up a wand despite being told that she wasn't magical enough to go to Hogwarts and if the clerk could run that magical diagnosis charm that Professor McGonagall had run on him and his wife as well as their youngest daughter.

The clerk look thoughtful for a moment before asking them to have a seat while he sent the question to his superiors. Ten minutes later, they were ushered into the office of Madam Griselda Marchbanks, the Director of the Wizarding Education Authority.

"Well now, Mr. Evans it's not every day that we get asked this sort of question. I'd like to know a bit more before we do perform the test. What was it specifically that brought about the circumstances of your question?"

Harry gestured to Petunia to take up the story. She told Director Marchbanks how she had wanted to at least have a chance to hold an actual wand despite being told that she didn't have enough magic to wield one. Petunia mentioned that she was signed up under the home-schooling program for hedge witches as suggested by the wife of the bookstore owner in Diagon Alley. She described that it had been a dream of hers to just hold a wand for however short a time; and when Lily handed over hers that morning, there was a small shower of red and gold sparks.

Griselda kept quiet for the most part during the explanation, only interrupting to clarify a couple of points. Nodding to herself, she explained what was involved with the Magical Index Spell and how it measured the strength of a witch or wizard's core then displayed the number from zero to one thousand.

"So you're familiar with how the Indexing Scale works, right and you got to have it done to you as well?" The Evans' nodded.

"Okay youngest Miss Evans, it's your turn." A wave of the wand and a strong 600 floated in front of Lily. Griselda was impressed and congratulated her on a respectable number. Finally, it was Petunia's turn. Again, a wave of Griselda's wand caused Petunia to glow briefly before a number of 249 appeared before her. Lily squealed and hugged her big sister who merely looked on in shock! Harry looked back at Griselda and asked if that was why she could get things to happen with Lily's wand.

"Yes, it's possible. It's a shame that Petunia was only off by a couple of points but like you pointed out my dear, there's no shame in being a hedge witch. You can safely do just about anything that the magical world has to offer…you just can't use a wand on a regular basis or at least you can't do the more complex spells."

Petunia sniffed happily, "Could I get a wand anyhow even if it's not a powerful wand?"

Griselda shrugged, "I don't see why not. Let me write up the report for this and have a copy put into your education file and a copy for you to take with so you can head over to Ollivander's and see what he can come up with."

* * *

_**At Ollivander's wand making shop, Diagon Alley…** _

"Well, hello there. I wasn't expecting to see anyone of your age in here so late in the school season."

Lily moved up to the front, "Hello, Mr. Ollivander. We're here to see if you could outfit my older sister with a wand."

Garrick Ollivander had been working his craft for a very long time and there was very little that surprised him anymore. What he was told about Petunia's particular case did in fact…surprise him.

Pursing his lips, he studied Petunia's aura for a moment before shuffling into the back recesses of his workshop. When he reappeared, he was carrying a couple of trays of materials.

After setting them down on the countertop, he motioned for Petunia to step forward and place her hand over the wand shafts and carefully brush her fingers over the tops of the wood. When she detected the right one, it would feel warm and loving to her touch.

It took several minutes before a particularly fine-grained 13-inch long Southern White Pine shaft made itself known to her touch. She smiled at Ollivander and pointed it out.

"This one. This feels good."

"Southern White Pine wood, it's a simple and widely available wood with a flexible nature. Now let's move onto the cores."

After another few minutes, Petunia was chosen as it were, by a strand of freely given unicorn hair. As an added bit, Ollivander directed her to look over a set of gemstones. He explained that certain stones magically prepared could hold a small reservoir of magical energy to give the wand waver that extra 'boost.' Petunia slowly ran her fingers over the gemstones before it felt like something was pulling her towards the last tray. A solitary gemstone of deep green peridot lay within, shining brightly. Garrick gathered up the selected materials and informed them that it would take him two hours to complete the task of making a wand just for Petunia.

"How much will it cost, Mr. Ollivander?" inquired Harry.

"The same as every other first year student, Mr. Evans, seven Galleons."

So Harry paid for the wand in advance and ushered his family out to the Alley where they'd spend their time browsing through the stores.

* * *

Petunia and Lily urged their parents that time in the bookstore were sorely needed. Petunia wanted to see if there were any books on wandlore that she could read more about matching wands with people like her. Lily wanted to see if there were extra reading material for potions that would help her get ahead in her class.

Mrs. Flourish spotted Petunia and waved jauntily at her while simultaneously helping another customer. Once that was completed, she made her way over to Tuni and greeted her warmly.

"So I heard that you've just finished your own first term in magical education. How are you liking it?"

Petunia's face felt like it was going to split from how wide her smile grew, "How'd you hear about it? I can't believe how much fun it is even if it is a bit slow at first. My only problem originally was the practice wand-work I had to learn. I mean, really? I can't do magic and yet the requirements said I had to learn the movements."

"You're one of the rare hedge-witches that even bother with the program. I found out about it because a couple of our regular customers who work in the Department of Magical Education were discussing it. You said, originally? What changed?" Mrs. Flourish inquired so Petunia explained what happened earlier that morning.

"It turns out that I scored a 249 on the Magic Index Scale. My family and I just finished with the Department of Education where Director Marchbanks examined me. After that, we went to Ollivander's where he's making me my own custom wand." Mrs. Flourish was suitably impressed and said so.

* * *

When the Evans returned to Ollivander's, Garrick placed the newly made wand in Petunia's hand and ran her through a few simple exercises. They were warned that any complex spells or charms must not be done, as it would lead to dangerous consequences.

"What sort of consequences?" asked Harry.

"The wand could self-destruct for one," Ollivander replied, "Southern White Pine is not a particularly strong wood for holding up to the stresses of your everyday wear and tear. I would recommend that your daughter not try anything stronger than a wand-lighting charm for the first couple of weeks to let her and her wand get used to each other."


	2. Chapter 2

**Tuesday 11 April 1972**

Petunia woke up with barely contained energy. Today was her 14th birthday and she was going to make the most of it. It would take all of her self-constraint not to get too bouncy while in school despite _really_ wanting to. When she got downstairs, she found her mother and father waiting and smiling.

"Happy Birthday, Petunia!" They both sang out.

"Thanks, mum and dad. I wish we could spend the whole day together."

Harry waved this off, "Don't worry about it, honey. We'll just have a nice dinner this evening.

When she got to school, Maya spotted her and squealed in happiness as she wished Petunia a happy birthday as well.

"Any plans to celebrate your birthday?"

Petunia just shrugged, "Not really, especially since it's a weekday. I know that my parents and I are going to have a birthday dinner but beyond that, no idea. It's a real shame that Lily isn't here to celebrate it with us."

That evening after a birthday dinner, Petunia and her parents were gathered in the living room so she could open her presents. She got the obligatory clothes from other relatives and from her parents, a couple of books on magical topics from Maya and, in Petunia's opinion, the greatest present in the world from Lily; a journal charmed with never-ending pages.

* * *

**Thursday 20 April 1972**

Petunia and Maya were on their way back to the bus stop from the Ministry after finishing their mid-term exams when they were attacked from behind. Their attacker demanded their jewelry and purses as he brandished his gun at them. Maya was terrified and it showed on her face but Petunia was adamant about fighting back. As Maya was handing over her bag, Petunia whipped out her wand and cast the strongest _Petrificus Totalis_ she could. The mugger's body stiffened up and he fell over with a thud. Petunia felt a wave of nausea and fatigue wash over her as she collapsed to the sidewalk.

Maya had let out a scream for help and they were fortunate that there were two Bobbies nearby that heard her scream and came running to help. Unfortunately for Petunia, they spotted her putting her wand away and thought it was a weapon. They were detained and separated in the station while trying to figure out not only what the purpose of the stick was but also how the mugger was unable to be released from his stiffened posture.

The investigator entered the interview room where Petunia was being held, pulled out the chair and began to ask her questions.

"Is there anything you wish to tell me, young lady?"

"Um…like what?" Petunia nervously stammered.

"Like what you did to your assailant that prevents him from moving? What is the purpose of that stick you were seen holding?"

Petunia looked chagrinned, "Umm…well…. you see, I'm not allowed to tell you about it. Family rules sort of thing."

"Uh-huh. Fine. Well, since you are a minor I will need to contact your parents or guardian."

Petunia acquiesced, "Could I have that stick back? It's… important."

The investigator leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment, "I can only release it back to your parents or guardian."

"That's fine. May I use your telephone?"

Petunia was guided to the station's telephone where instead of calling her parents, she contacted the Ministry using the telephone number she was given for these sort of emergencies. The operator on the other end told her to wait where she was and they'd send someone over as soon as possible. Ten minutes later, an older gentleman, one of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's Muggle Liaison Officers, stepped into the station's lobby asking for Petunia Evans. He was met by the investigator and told of the events surrounding Petunia's detainment. Her wand was retrieved and the mugger unpetrified. The MLO then pulled out his own wand and obliviated the others of their memory of the encounter and took Petunia and Maya back to the Ministry.

* * *

_**At the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Muggle Liaison Office…** _

Petunia sat nervously awaiting her fate as the Officer filled out the paperwork on the incident. She picked at her nails quietly and glanced around at the various items scattered around the Officer's desk and cubicle. _'Honestly, it doesn't appear too different from the muggle policeman's office. The pictures move but…'_

The clearing of a throat drew her out of her reverie.

"Well Miss Evans, everything seems to be in order here. I must say that I am impressed by your quick thinking and wandwork. Not too many other third year students could take down an attacker like you did."

"I-I'm a first year, sir." She stammered.

An eyebrow was quirked up in surprise, "A _first_ year? Now that _is_ impressive! When did you learn the petrification spell? Which House are you in?"

"I'm not in any House, sir. I don't attend Hogwarts, I'm a hedge-witch and home schooled."

Cocking his head in amazement, he then asked her what her home floo address was so he could contact her parents so they could come and get her.

"Um, I'm a muggleborn. I don't think our house has a floo address. How would I set one up?"

With a purse of his lips in thought, the Officer motioned for her to stay while he got something from the front desk. When he got back, he held in his hand a form for her parents to fill out to connect their fireplace to the Floo Network.

"In the meantime, what is your home phone number? While you fill that out, I'll contact your parents."

Petunia gave her contact information while reading over the form. She asked him to tell her parents that she might be able to go to Maya's house until they got off from work. When the Officer hung up, she asked to be allowed to have her father read it over and give his permission to have their floo connected. The Officer stated that it wouldn't be a problem, just for her to get it filled out and processed soon.

"Oh, one more question sir? After I performed that spell, I felt nauseous and fatigued. Why did that happen?" Petunia inquired.

"You said you're a hedge-witch? Well, your feelings of nausea and fatigue are the result of your magic trying to do too much in such a short time frame. It's like trying to run a marathon while sprinting."

* * *

Maya appeared a moment later with her own Officer in the lead saying that she'd been cleared and was ready to go home. She offered to have Petunia come through her family's floo before heading home to which Petunia gratefully accepted. The Officer in charge of their case made a note of it and stepped through with the two of them to explain the circumstances to Maya's parents.

After all that and when the Officer left, Petunia called her parents and let them know that she had arrived safely at Maya's home. Harry and Marigold were filled in on the events when they arrived to pick her up after work. They were relieved that nothing bad had happened to their daughter; thanked the Richards for their patience and took her straight home.

* * *

For the next month, Petunia rarely left the house. She had become rather leery about being out in public and truth be told her parents didn't want their daughter to be out and about unescorted either. She had given her father the floo connection form and explained its purpose. Harry eagerly filled it out and mailed it to the address written on the back. A week later, a Floo Network Authority worker arrived on their doorstep to hook up their fireplace to the system and to instruct them on the proper usage. They received a bag of Floo Powder and it was suggested that they keep it on the mantle in a closeable jar of some sort.

Marigold had wanted to use a cute nickname for the floo address but everything she chose was already in use. Harry suggested that they just use their regular address so if anyone not cleared to know about magic wouldn't think anything of it if they heard the address being called out. Harry then suggested that they keep the newest addition to their home a secret from Lily as a 'welcome home' surprise to which both his wife and eldest daughter laughed and agreed.

In the meantime, Petunia thought long and hard about what the officer had said about someone like her using magic too quickly. She experimented with trying to cast progressively difficult spells and charms and recording their effects on her magic usage and regeneration. She concluded that her reservoir of magic was slow filling. She could use it fast but the repercussions were not to be trifled with. She ended with a bit of a shocking warning coming from her wand of all things; she had tried to cast a _Stupefy_ hex and it caused her wand to heat up very quickly to almost the point where it felt like it could burst into flames!

She immediately stopped what she was doing and let the wand and her magic cool off while recording all of her research into her journals.

* * *

**Friday 16 June 1972**

"Good Morning, Miss Evans. Are you ready to take your OWL in Muggle Studies?"

Petunia had convinced her parents to allow her to take the qualifying test for the easier subjects ahead of time so she wouldn't have so much to take later. After reviewing the textbook for the Muggle Studies course, both Evans parents agreed once they finished laughing their collective butts off.

"Alright, Miss Evans. You will have one hour to complete the written section of the exam before we move onto the practical portion. Ready, set…begin."

Petunia flipped over the test paper and scanned the questions. As expected they were stupidly simple:

_1) What are the main types of currency used by muggles?_

_2) Why do muggles use electricity? Give examples._

_3) What is the primary form of communication used by muggles?_

_4) What is the primary form of transportation used by muggles?_

The list went on for thirty questions. It took Petunia less than fifteen minutes to answer every single one of them. The practical was even easier, all she had to do was place a telephone call to a predetermined location (in this case it was to the Muggle Liaison Office and answer a few questions the proctor on the other end had), properly end the call and describe the features of the telephone. Next, she had to type a letter using a typewriter and also demonstrate how to dress in order to blend in with her environment.

When she was all done, the examiner stated that she'd receive her results by Wednesday of next week.

* * *

"How well do you think you did on the test?" Maya asked Petunia when the latter girl got home and the two met up in the Evans' backyard.

"Please! My neighbor's cat could ace that so-called 'test.'" Petunia scoffed derisively.

Maya's eyebrows rose and she tilted her head in thought, "Well, just by that answer maybe I ought to take the test as well."

Petunia patted her friend's hand, "You should. Not only would it allow you to get an OWL in the subject, it would also show those stuffed shirts that being a Squib is nothing to be ashamed of."

Maya just snorted in amusement at her friend's declaration.

* * *

**Friday 23 June 1972**

Petunia was impatiently dancing on her feet waiting for Lily to come through the portal at King's Cross Station. It was the end of the school year and she couldn't wait to tell her in person what her grades were for the classes she was taking! Finally, the muggleborn students started appearing out of the portal and she spotted her sister's red hair.

"Lily! Lily Evans! Over here!" she yelled out while jumping up and down and waving her hand.

Marigold and Harry rolled their eyes at their eldest daughter's antics and chuckled, "Really Petunia? I think you're just a little bit over excited there."

"Sorry mum."

Lily came bouncing over while pushing her trolley with her trunk on it. She let out a squeal of happiness as she met up with her family. Hugs and kisses were given out by all and Harry took over at pushing the trolley back to the car. Once they were safely underway, Petunia had a triumphant grin grow on her face as she announced her news to her sister.

"Guess what, Lily? I got the results back from my end of year tests!"

Lily turned to her with wide eyes and an expectant look on her face, "So what did you get?"

Petunia grinned, "I got all O's in all of my subjects. I even took the OWL for Muggle Studies. Got an O plus on it too."

Lily squealed in delight and gave her big sister a strong hug, "I knew you could do it especially that stupid Muggle Studies test. Did the examiner say anything? I remember you said you were going to tell them that you didn't even take the class."

"I did tell them and they were rather miffed at the idea but they admitted that perhaps the class could use a bit of an update."

Lily laughed, " _A bit of an update?_ That's like saying grandma was a bit old when she passed away! So what happens now?"

Petunia shrugged, "I have the summer free just like you do though I think I'm going to continue to push through my History of Magic studies so I can get that much closer to taking the OWLs for that. If I work hard enough, I might be able to push the test date up to say just before the Christmas holidays. Oh, and according to the examiner at the DoME, I'm about halfway done with my basic course learning."

"That'd be awesome, Petunia! Wait, what do you mean, halfway done with the basics? Do you mean that you're almost a done with _second year?_ "

Petunia gave a large, smug grin and nodded. Lily's eyes widened and just shook her head slowly in amazement then proceeded to fill her family in on what her test scores for the year were and like her older sister; she too got straight O's in all her subjects.

When they got home; Harry, Marigold and Petunia were able to finally spring their surprise on Lily with the news of their very own floo address. To say Lily was shocked was an understatement. She was utterly speechless for ten seconds then she squeaked as she tried to form coherent words before letting out another yelp of joy. Now she could connect with her magical friends without having to wait through the interminable slowness of the muggle to magical mail system.

"This is great! Now we don't have to get an owl or deal with the hassle of the muggle to magical mail system."

Marigold shrugged, "We may just get an owl anyways seeing as how it's not permissible to contact Hogwarts through the floo."

* * *

Later as they were settling down for the night, Lily stopped into Petunia's room to fill her in on the results of the advanced communication idea she had earlier.

"I spoke with the Ancient Runes teacher and she said that there is a method to connect two mirrors together to act as a communication device. She said that the rune work and enchantment to do so is terribly obscure and complicated to replicate. It's also horribly expensive to do so and that she just doesn't have the time to even attempt it because of all her teaching duties and whatnot."

Petunia sighed, "Well, there goes _that_ idea. It was fun while it lasted."

Lily blushed pink, "Not necessarily. I may have let slip the idea to Remus and his friends about the mirror idea. By the sound of it, they have already tried to experiment with the idea."

"How do you know they're working on it?"

"Remus mentioned it one day as we were waiting to get into our Herbology class. He asked me what my need for it was and so I explained to him that it was originally your idea to modernize the way magicals communicated. He laughed and said it figured that you'd come up with something that was too fiendishly tempting for James Potter and his friends to keep away from. He says that Potter is torn between putting his full attention on this or two other projects they have in the works."

"What else are they working on? Do you know?" asked Petunia.

Lily pursed her lips and shook her head, "No idea but whatever it is doesn't bode well for the school. They've already made a name for themselves as pranksters."

Petunia cocked an eyebrow up and smirked, "Sounds like your sort of thing, Lily. Have you pranked them back yet? I remember you having trouble with that Potter boy."

Lily laughed lightly, "I decided that pranking magically has been done before and is rather blasé. To really spice things up, I pranked them using muggle means. I got Potter just last week using a Whoopee cushion under his favorite spot in the Common Room."

Petunia nearly choked on her laughter, "You _didn't!_ What else?"

"Well, let's see…I put itching powder in their underwear. I used a Switching spell to accomplish that. Another time, I spiked the morning pumpkin juice with a color changing potion that would turn their skin different colors based on their body temperature."

Petunia laughed, "You turned them into human thermometers! Epic, Lily. Truly epic! Amazing isn't it? You're a muggleborn and if you were to listen to the drivel spouted by the aristocracy, you shouldn't even be at the school yet you're already performing fourth year spells."

Lily just smirked in response then glanced over at Petunia's 'Mood Flower,' "What's the latest with the publication on your flower there?"

Petunia scrunched up her face a bit, "The journal editor said it wasn't anything that could be published as it wasn't groundbreaking enough. She did recommend that I speak with the publisher of the instruction booklet and send in my results so that other Herbologists could share it that way." She shrugged, "Not a big deal, really. It was mostly just observations and not really something I wanted to be known for."

* * *

Over the next couple of months during their summer break Lily and Petunia spent time with their friends, going to the movies, going to the beach or attending concerts. Petunia had the brilliant idea to have Lily show their parents everything she'd learned the previous year at school. To smooth things over with the Ministry, she contacted the office within the DMLE that dealt with underage magic via the Floo Network and informed them that any magic detected at their location was strictly done in full view and supervision of _just_ their parents. (She later received a thank you letter from the Improper Use of Magic office wishing her a pleasant day and heartfelt wish that more muggleborn children would think to inform the office of similar activities _before_ actually doing it!)

"I thought our property was protected by that…what did they call it? A ward?" questioned Harry after Petunia finished with the Floo call, "If that was properly done, why contact them again?"

"It's just in case, daddy. The ward may have come down for one reason or another and we'd have gotten in trouble. Safety first, you know." Petunia replied.

After getting the approval from the Ministry, Lily demonstrated all that she'd learned in her classes. She turned a matchstick into a needle, charmed her pencil case to grow legs and run around on the table, showed them the results of her potion's exams and quizzes and described what she learned in the other classes.

The two girls were having a late night chat about the fact that Petunia was now a 'wand waver' like her younger sister to which Petunia scoffed.

"In all honesty, Lily? I barely use it. I only pull it when I need to practice for a test or when I'm in an emergency. I found out that if I perform any strong spells, I start to feel dizzy and sick. I wrote to Ollivander and described what happened. He said that my magical core wasn't strong enough to handle such a 'load' and would react like that every time. He recommended that I restrict myself to simple household charm levels like causing a spoon to stir a pot or this spell that would allow me to siphon off liquids; that sort of thing. I'm not going to be one of those magical idiots who whip out their wands for the tiniest reason. No foolish wand waving for me, thank you very much."


	3. Chapter 3

**Friday 25 August 1972**

The Evans arrived at the Leaky Cauldron via the Floo Network simply because they could and because Harry wanted to try it just once. It turned out that traveling by floo required someone with magical ability since the traveling part required a tiny tap on the person's core to power it. Just simply throwing in the powder opened the network but wouldn't let a Squib or muggle to travel through it. Therefore, it fell to both Evans sisters to guide their parents through the network.

First stop was Gringott's Bank to exchange pounds to Galleons. While they were there, Harry asked the teller about opening up an education account so the girls could just directly access the money without having to wait in line to do the currency exchanges.

The teller handed him a form and told Harry to fill it out then bring it back along with the initial amount he wanted to deposit.

"Would I be able to write the bank a transfer check from my bank to this one or do I need to bring the actual money?" Harry asked.

The teller looked pleased at being asked an intelligent question, "Yes, you may use a transfer check. This will save both time and money for both of us. That brochure will have some basic information but if you require anything else, I would suggest that you consider contacting your account manager."

"An account manager? Would you recommend I speak with him or her now or wait until I get this form filled out?"

"I would recommend that you wait until the form is filled out. Will there be anything else you need?"

"No, sir. You've been very helpful." Harry concluded.

* * *

After the bank, Lily and Petunia led their parents around Diagon Alley to purchase replacement materials for their potions kits, the second year textbooks for Lily while Petunia was getting third and fourth year course books and in Lily's case a new set of school robes as her current ones were getting too short. Lily grumbled a bit when Petunia mentioned that it was nice that she could choose her own textbooks for Defense Against the Dark Arts, whereas Lily had to get the assigned book.

"It's not fair, you don't have to put up with a new teacher every year for Defense," Lily complained.

Petunia looked at her younger sister in puzzlement, "Why is that? Are the professors there only on one-year contracts?"

Lily snorted in derision, "No, there's supposedly some sort of curse on the Defense professorship. Been like that since the late 1950s, supposedly."

Tuni scrunched up her face in perplexment, "That doesn't make sense. Doesn't the Headmaster want that cleared up? Heck, I'd think that someone there would've mentioned it to the Ministry so they could send someone in to fix the problem."

Lily rolled her eyes, "You'd think that but no…I've heard that Dumbledore wants it all kept in house and that there's no real problem."

Harry joined the conversation, "Lily, maybe we should say something? If it's affecting your learning and schoolwork then we have a responsibility to do the right thing." He then turned to Petunia, "Do you know which department it would be the right one to contact?"

Petunia thought for a moment before scrunching her shoulders a bit, "Well, just off the top of my head, I'd contact the Department of Magical Education seeing as how they're the ones who'd be the ones to oversee the activities."

"Then how about after we get done here, we floo over to the Ministry and talk with someone there?"

The others agreed to the plan.

* * *

_**In Madam Malkin's clothing store…** _

Lily was up on the tailor's stand getting measured while Marigold looked over her clothing purchases and turned to ask Madam Malkin a question.

"Besides the charm to change their school robes the color of their House, is there anything other that's special about the material? It feels like ordinary wool and cotton."

"No, there's nothing special about the fabric. I might put on a resizing charm on it as an extra charge but beyond that it's just an ordinary wool robe."

"Is the color changing charm for the House colors difficult to learn? How does it stay color that without repeated application?"

"Once the House is chosen and the color applied, the school's elves make it permanent through their own version of magic. You're thinking of making your own robes for yourself or your daughters?"

Marigold nodded, "That wouldn't be a problem, would it?"

Madam Malkin shook her head, "Nah, it's been done before. I don't mind it myself."

Marigold smiled, "Thank you, Madam."

* * *

_**At the Ministry for Magic…** _

The Evans family arrived at the Ministry and headed directly for the Department of Magical Education once again. After getting a clerk's attention, Harry described the conversation they'd had back in the Alley and if it were possible to get someone out to the school to look over the problem.

"Well, Mr. Evans it's like this, we would love to be able to send a crew out to the school but the Headmaster doesn't like us to be rummaging around with the wards and whatnot. Says it's a detriment to the students' routines," the clerk explained apologetically.

Harry's eyes narrowed, "That doesn't make any sense, especially given how it's the summer holidays and there are no students there. Isn't this a case of proper maintenance of the school regardless of what or how the Headmaster feels?"

The clerk apologized again and said there was nothing the department could do unless the Headmaster requested it. Giving up in frustration, the Evans family left the office.

As they were heading out, Petunia suggested that perhaps they should swing by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and submit a complaint about the suspiciousness of the Headmaster's actions in regards to the education and safety of the students. Agreeing to this, they deviated from their course and headed to their new destination.

* * *

_**Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Front Desk…** _

"Hello, how may I help you?" asked the Desk Sergeant.

Harry cleared his throat, "I'd like to file a complaint about the Headmaster of Hogwarts not providing a safe learning environment for my daughter and the other students in the school." The Desk Sergeant's eyebrows rose in question.

"What is the nature of the complaint?"

"Namely, he refuses to have Ministry help in identifying this so-called 'Curse of the Defense Professorship' and having it dealt with. On top of that, his inability or unwillingness to have competent teachers for Defense as well as History. Finally, my daughter has informed me that the school equipment is seriously out-of-date or damaged in some sort of way or another."

The Sergeant nodded as he was writing all of this down, "Anything else?"

Marigold leaned over, "Yes, the bullying and personal attacks that happen between some of the students are not being dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner. I understand this is supposed to be in the remit of the Deputy but the Headmaster is apparently overriding any of her decisions. He has been allowing it to continue unchecked."

Once the complaint form was finished and signed, a copy of it was made for the Evans' to keep and they were informed that the next available Auror would investigate and get back with them as soon as possible. With that done, the Evans family headed home.

* * *

When they finally got home, the girls went upstairs to put their purchases away. Marigold sat down at the kitchen table and began sketching out designs for robes and school clothes. Harry joined her a few minutes later while sipping from a beer can.

"What are you doing, Mari?" he asked while gesturing with one finger at the sketches.

"Sketching up some designs for school clothing for Lily. I asked the shopkeeper in Diagon Alley if it were permitted to make our own clothes and what sorts of charms were used. She said it's not a problem as some parents do this to save money. I want to do it not only to save money but it will give me a chance to be a bit creative."

"Um… Mari? How are you going to apply the charms?"

"Hopefully it'll be within Petunia or Lily's capability. I'll ask later tonight. I'm pretty sure it is after all Petunia was able to perform that petrification charm without any trouble and Lily is a full witch."

Harry kissed his wife on her cheek and said he was proud of her initiative. She just blushed.

* * *

**Friday 1 September 1972**

Unlike the prior year, Harry was unable to take off work to take his daughter to the train station. This left Marigold the only driver available. That was until Lily found out that there was a public Floo access point in the station. With that settled, the three Evans girls flooed to King's Cross with nearly an hour to spare. It was also the first time that Marigold was able to see the magical side of the train platform.

Gazing up at the gleaming magenta locomotive and around the insides of the Pullman style cars, she marveled at the train that would take her youngest back to her school.

Marigold and Petunia hung around until the train left the station. When the other passengers and their families began arriving, it was their big chance to meet Lily's magical friends. Many introductions were made to both sides and contact information was exchanged. Petunia giggled at the public display of idiocy that was James Potter when he spotted Lily, much to the younger girl's annoyance. James' parents, Dorea and Charlus Potter made their introductions to Marigold and Petunia and profusely apologized for their son's lack of manners.

Marigold waved it off and chuckled, "Don't worry about it. You should've seen the lengths at which my husband went to in order to get my attention before we started dating. I sometimes think it's a rite of passage for boys."

Dorea shook her head in exasperation while grinning back, "If that's the case, then there's hope yet for James. At any rate, I hope that this will just make us better friends?"

"Definitely."

While the adults were chatting, Lily came back dragging her childhood friend Severus Snape in tow despite the boy's vehement disagreement in methodology. James sneered at Severus who sneered right back. Petunia chuckled at the pitiful display of male dominance before her.

"You two look so silly trying to act like you're the bigger threat to male superiority."

"That's because I _am_ the better choice for Lily," Severus replied with a snobbish attitude.

"Yeah, right _Snivellus…_ " James snarked back.

Petunia smirked again, "You two idiots just don't get it do you? Instead of fluffing your feathers in…whatever this is, you should be spending your efforts to win my sister's love."

James turned towards her, "I've been trying. The problem is him. He keeps interfering with my efforts." He gestured dismissively at Severus.

Severus snorted at that, "And just how is that possible when I don't even share the same House or even sit at the same table as she does?"

"Well, there's the fact that you _exist!_ "

Petunia pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled noisily, "James Potter, shut up. You obviously are too immature to understand. Severus? Just ignore him. Better yet, keep an eye out for a letter from me. I have ideas that you might be interested in."

Severus' eyes narrowed but then shrugged it off, turned and walked away.

James was pulled into a goodbye hug by his mother and couldn't continue the conversation.

Sirius Black then showed up with his sneering, disapproving mother and younger brother in tow. The look on his face clearly showed that he couldn't wait to be shot of them for the coming year. He spotted the Potters standing next to what appeared to be Lily and her family so he made a beeline over to introduce himself.

"Hey James, Lily, girl I don't know."

Lily grunted in disapproval, "Sirius Black, this is my older sister Petunia."

"Charming to meet you, Petunia," he said obsequiously.

Petunia had a teasing glint in her eye as she replied, "Apparently whatever that charm is needs to be reviewed and reapplied or maybe it's whatever you bathed in last, it stinks."

James fell to the floor howling in laughter while Marigold looked on in shock while the elder Potters smirked. Lily covered her face with her hands as she tried not to laugh. Sirius merely looked mildly impressed.

Nodding defeat while giving a silent applause, "Very good my dear, very good. You had me going there for a moment." He then stuck his nose in the air in a over the top, snooty manner, "James? Come, let us away from the ordinary folk." James managed to haul himself up and let Sirius drag him away from the group still laughing at his best friend.

Lily let loose at that moment and gave Petunia a dual thumbs up, "I am _so_ going to miss you!"

* * *

By the time that Petunia and Marigold got done with Lily and by the time they left the train station, it was nearing time when Marigold would normally begin preparing dinner. They stopped at the grocery store and wandered through the aisles.

"What did you have in mind for dinner, mum?"

"I was thinking of making a brisket, dear. Why don't you go and find some vegetables to go with it as a side dish?"

Petunia headed over to the produce aisle humming to herself the incantation to make things fly. To her surprise, a couple of items that she had been looking at rose up into the air. Blinking owlishly, she puzzled over how it happened but then shook herself and quickly removed her wand from her sleeve and cast a _finite_ at the hovering fruit. She glanced around to see if anyone else had spotted what she had accidentally caused to happen but there was no one else in the vicinity.

Quickly selecting the desired vegetables, she hurried back to her mother.

* * *

_Sunday 3 September 1972_

_Dear Lily,_

_How are you settling in for your second year? Things are the same here, really…well, sort of. On the way home from dropping you off at the trains station, Mum and I stopped off at the grocer's to pick up a brisket and vegetables when I may have accidentally caused some fruit to rise up off the shelf. I swear I didn't do it on purpose! I was humming the incantation for wingardium leviosa when the tomatoes rose a foot into the air!_

_The strange thing was I wasn't holding my wand at the time! Looking back, it's clear now that I perform wandless magic and here I thought that I was incapable of the higher magics._

_It's only been a couple of days and my teachers haven't really given us anything but what I really would love to do is just focus on the magical stuff. It's just so much more interesting! I spoke with my contact at the DoME and she said that she'd send me the practice exams for the History of Magic OWL by the end of the week. I know that I originally wanted to work in a field that bridged the divide between the magical and non-magical worlds but after reading through some of the literature on types of careers, I don't know what I'd like to do when I graduate._

_So is 'Potter and Pals' still giving you trouble? I have a couple of ideas on how to prank them into at least giving you some breathing room. Have you read up on glamour charms?_

_Love Petunia_

* * *

_Dear Severus,_

_Well, as promised I have a couple of ideas on how you can attain a bit of revenge against James Potter and his cohorts. Lily proved last year that magicals have no concept of muggle pranks as evident by the itching powder in their underwear or the Whoopee Cushion under Potter's favorite chair. In no particular order, here are my favorites:_

_Swap contents of the ketchup bottles with habanero sauce._

_(Ask the elves for help with this one) Swap the contents of their deodorant with spray adhesive._

_Send Professor McGonagall gift-wrapped cat toys with a tag that reads 'With Love, James Potter.'_

_Scatter catnip under McGonagall's chair or desk and dump the leftovers in Potter's bag and robe pockets._

_(Ask the elves for help with this one) Swap Potter's underwear for girl's panties._

_Send a gift box of lemon drops laced with laxatives to the Headmaster. Write a note and sign it 'Have a blast! James Potter and Sirius Black.'_

_Silly and immature, I know but you've got to start somewhere. Lily tells me that you're a potions prodigy. From my own studies, I know there are a_ ton _of potions that could be used to prank your enemies. Heck, you could probably whip something up to make him think that he ought to be serenading the Headmaster at dinner!_

_Enjoy!_

_Petunia_

* * *

_Tuesday 5 September 1972_

_Dear Petunia,_

_Wandless magic, eh? Maybe with your studies and the fact that you're capable of using a wand, you've bumped yourself up on the Magical Index Scale to where you could be thought of as a full witch? Were you overly emotional about something? That's what happens to young magical children when they show their first bouts of accidental magic. Something to check out the next time you're in the Ministry._

_School is fine, I managed to surprise Professor Flitwick by charming a rubber ball to randomly float around the room so I could use it as target practice. He gave me 20 points for ingenuity and spell accuracy! My potions professor, Slughorn, is such a pompous ass! Just because I'm muggleborn doesn't give him the right to be all condescending towards me, treating me as some kind of pet or zoo animal that's learned how to be all cute by standing on my hind legs. I showed him just what it means to annoy me with that sort of attitude! I created a potion that made him temporarily allergic to those candied pineapples he's always fawning over. Every time he eats one, it makes him violently sick._

_Left him a note the next day telling him who was responsible and why. So far, his attitude towards me and the other muggleborns has dramatically improved._

_Interesting thing happened a couple of days ago. Did you, dear sister, happen to send a letter to Severus? He got this glint in his eye that promised retribution towards Potter and his friends. I could swear that the usual sardonic smirk was downright evil in nature. The next day James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew all came down to breakfast wearing very uncomfortable looks on their faces while tugging at their pants. I wonder what that was about? Then at dinner, Sirius Black started yelling and begging for water. It seems that_ someone _swapped the ketchup he was using with habanero sauce…Know anything about that, dear sister?_

_Nothing else major happening here, I got an Astronomy test I need to study for._

_Love,_

_Lily_

* * *

Two days later, Petunia and Maya were out on the school's playground eating their lunches and admiring Petunia's wand for the umpteenth time. A shadow fell over them and to both girls' annoyance it was Tommy Dillard, the school bully. He sneered at the two of them and grabbed the wand out of Maya's hand.

"So what do you two spazzes have here? What's with the stick, eh Petunia? You planning on going out for the cheerleading team to root for the loser squad?"

"Give that back, Dillard!" Petunia yelled as she latched her hand around the handle.

The bully just laughed and started to pull it out of her reach again when all of a sudden there was a red flash and Tommy Dillard hit the floor unconscious. Petunia got a little woozy as she quickly put the wand away and glanced over at Maya.

"D-Did you just do magic?" Maya asked nervously.

Petunia's head still spun a bit as she looked down at the unconscious Dillard and shrugged, "I must have. I was thinking that I wished I could knock him down. I must have subconsciously stupefied him. I also feel a bit light-headed. The Muggle Liaison Officer said that could be a result of me trying to perform the higher rated magics."

Maya looked at her in askance, "Petunia, sometimes you scare me with how easily you get magic to do what you want. Hovering fruit, stupefying Dillard…what's next? Going to conjure something?"

Petunia snorted and grinned back at her best friend, "I sure hope not. I love the fact that I can do some magic but I really don't want all the power and abilities that come with it."

Maya's eyes widened in surprise then narrowed as she huffed in annoyance, "Why _not?_ It's something I've always dreamed about having!"

Petunia sighed, "I'm not greedy about it. Too much power is dangerous. Just look at that Headmaster Lily has to deal with everyday at school. He's the Headmaster, the Chief Warlock plus he's got that chairmanship for the ICW…it's too much power for one person. No, I just want enough magical ability to assist me in whatever job I have and to help out around the house."

Maya grew thoughtful as she pondered Petunia's words.

* * *

When Petunia got home, she began to work on her non-magical homework until it was time for dinner. Afterwards, she assisted in the clean up of the dishes and as a curiosity of whether or not it was possible she used her wand to charm the dishes clean. Marigold watched in bemusement as Petunia used a _Scourgify_ charm to clean the dishes then a _Tergeo_ charm to remove the water. Handing over the now clean dishes to her mother, she awaited inspection.

Impressed by how well of a job that Petunia had done, Marigold gave her eldest daughter a warm smile and began stacking them in the cupboard.

Once that was done, Petunia dug out her magical studies and decided that tonight would be a nice night to work on the practical side of her astronomy assignment. She setup the small telescope her father had purchased for her in London and began marking the landmarks of the moon on her worksheet. Next, she located Jupiter and sketched out what was visible and the position of the planet in the sky. Once the worksheet was completed, she packed everything up and headed inside to go to sleep.

By the time that the weekend had rolled around, Petunia was caught up on all of her class and homework assignments. That left her with plenty of free time to go see a couple of movies with her friends and to also go hang out at the local mall. Maya, for whatever reason, had started drifting away from their friendship and seemed to find reasons not to be as close as they had been. This hurt Petunia, who had thought she'd found a kindred spirit in her closest friend.

She talked it over with her mother and together they put in a floo call to the Richards to see if Mrs. Richards had any idea as to what was going on between the two girls.

"Susan? Have you any idea as to why Maya has pulled away from her friendship with Petunia?" Marigold asked worriedly.

Susan Richards sighed exasperatedly and shook her head, "I believe it's a touch of jealousy on Maya's part. From what I've heard, Petunia is coming into her own with her latent magical ability, and Maya is jealous of not even being able to do that much."

"But…I-I didn't mean to make her jealous," Petunia sobbed quietly.

Susan patted her hand consolingly, "It's not your fault, Petunia. Sometimes Maya gets jealous over the littlest things but then snaps out of it a week later. She's been like this ever since she was little. Give it another week and I'm sure that she will be back asking for your forgiveness."

Petunia sniffed and nodded in understanding, "Could you please tell her that I miss her? It's just not the same without her witty sense of dry humor that makes my day all that more interesting."

"I will dear. I promise you that much."

True to Susan's prediction, Maya did come back begging for forgiveness to which Petunia gave almost immediately while both were crying profusely. Once the tears dried up, the two girls began discussing what had transpired and what they could do about it.

"There has to be a way for you to perform _some_ kind of magic. I mean there's a ton of subjects that don't require a wand that is recognized as magic," Petunia said.

"I know but I really wanted the ability to use a wand like an ordinary witch," Maya sniffled, "It's the one thing that sets us apart from the mundanes."

"What about runic magic? I've been looking through some of the books on that in preparation for next year and from what I could gather, the magic within those runes is what the ancients used before the advent of wands or even staffs."

Maya tilted her head in thought, "It's possible though how would I be able to power up the symbols to get them to do what I want? I've always thought you needed a wand to do so."

Petunia harrumphed, "Well, that just gives us both a research project to ponder over the holidays doesn't it?" Maya just gave her a sad, watery smile in response.

* * *

**Monday 18 September 1972**

Petunia was sitting in her math class not really paying attention to what was on the board. Instead, she was thinking about her Arithmancy assignment that was waiting for her at home. A cleared throat interrupted her daydreaming.

"Miss Evans? Is there a reason why you're not paying attention?"

Quickly shaking her head no, Petunia grimaced at being caught woolgathering.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Potsdam. I was thinking about this math self-study assignment I have waiting for me at home."

An eyebrow rose, "Really? What's so interesting about that particular math that you couldn't pay attention to the material I'm teaching?"

Trying to think fast on how to explain magical mathematics, Petunia could only stammer out, "Well…I don't know how to best explain it. It's almost like…magic."

Mrs. Potsdam snorted in derision, "Magical math? Really Miss Evans?"

Throwing her hands up, "I have no other way to really describe it. I could bring it in to show you and the class tomorrow if you'd like?"

Mrs. Potsdam nodded in approval, "I think that would be a good idea, Miss Evans. I'm sure we'd all be curious as to how _magic_ could be broken down mathematically."

"Well, to be honest ma'am, I don't think it's best to use the term 'magical math.' It's more like…mathematical sculpture," Petunia remarked as her eyes glazed over a bit as she imagined the formulas and symmetry of the math as they flowed and twisted in her mind's eye.

Mrs. Potsdam and the others chuckled at the sight of Petunia getting all starry-eyed at the thought of mathematics being an art form.

The next day, Petunia brought in her Arithmancy textbook as well as her assignments to show off to her class. Eyebrows were definitely raised and mouths dropped open at what was on display. Higher level trigonometry, geometry, statistics and other things that the students had never even heard of. Even the teacher was hard pressed to understand some of the concepts. Thumbing through the book, she had Petunia explain an equation for a polynomial.

"A polynomial is the sum of a finite number of _terms,_ each of which is a the product of a finite collection of numbers and variables. For example, 7a2 + 4ab+3b2 is considered a polynomial. _Poly_ being the word for 'many' and _-nomial_ being the word for 'term.'"

Needless to say, her teacher and classmates were impressed by Petunia's knowledge. Mrs. Potsdam went on to have her explain and proof some of the equations and theorems that were assigned in the end of chapter quizzes. Petunia nailed each and every one of them. At the end of the demonstration, it was clear now to even the dimmest student that Petunia Evans was in a class by herself when it came to mathematics and that the work demonstrated truly was…magical.

At the end of the day, Mrs. Potsdam held Petunia back for a brief conversation.

"Miss Evans, I now understand why you've shown very little interest in what mathematics I've been showing if that is what level you're truly at. I must ask though, what got you interested in such a high level?"

Petunia shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, I was taking a trip to a science museum in London during last summer with my family and there was a text that was on display, teaching about the same sort of math that I demonstrated today. For some reason, it just…stuck with me. I could see what the author was talking about and I even noticed a few mistakes in the equations. My parents suggested that I check out a couple of library books on the subject and it just took off from there."

"Hmmm…yes. I know it's still early in your educational career but have you given any thought as to what you want to do when you graduate?"

Petunia shyly scuffed her toe into the carpet, "I've thought about being a teacher. Maybe not just for mathematics but just a general education teacher. I don't know though…"

Mrs. Potsdam smiled knowingly, "I understand. Well, should you decide on what to do, know that I'm always available for advice."

* * *

That evening, Petunia wrote in her journal trying to come up with some new prank potions or charms for Severus to use on James Potter and his gang. She set the journal down and rubbed her eyes. Harry came in and sat down on the edge of the couch and asked her what she was up to.

"Just working on coming up with new ideas for pranking material."

Harry looked concerned, "Are you sure that's a wise idea?"

Petunia half-heartedly shrugged, "Dunno. If anything, it gets my creativity flowing and helps with my magical learning while I'm researching potion ingredients, charms and whatnot."

Harry was silent for a moment before gesturing to the journal, "Well, what have you got so far?"

She picked up the journal and flipped to the first page:

_Create a magical version of the joy buzzer._

_Add a laxative into chocolate brownies._

_Chewing gum charmed to make a person continuously smack their lips._

_Charm a pair of underpants to turn soggy wet when hit with a stinging hex._

_Chewing gum or chocolate biscuits with an added ingredient to make a person's tongue numb for at least an hour._

And so the list went on covering ideas both muggle and magical. Harry's eyes widened at some of the more lascivious ideas and chuckled at some of the classics.

"I like the classical ones. The exploding cigar is always a favorite of mine though you might want to use a different delivery method for school kids."

Petunia nodded and wrote that idea down in her journal, "Thanks, daddy."

* * *

_Friday 29 September 1972_

_Dear Petunia,_

_Greetings from Hogwarts! I don't know what it was that you wrote to Severus Snape but now he and my friends, James Potter and Sirius Black seem to be in an all-out Prank War. I've had to learn to sleep with one eye open because of all the chaos that's been going on. I know that it sounds rather hypocritical of me since I'm usually found in the thick of things as well but your sister recommended that I write to you. She seemed unusually smug about it as well, come to think about it._

_She implied that you had something to do with the idea of a prank where James couldn't answer a question without belching uncontrollably or the time when Sirius came down for breakfast wearing the most hideous pink ballerina costume despite his adamancy in thinking that he was wearing his ordinary school robes._

_Then there was the time when Peter couldn't walk down the halls without someone hitting him with a stinging hex all because of a piece of paper stuck to his back that read_ 'Hex me' _with an arrow pointing at his butt._

_I don't know the extent of your involvement but I must say that I'm impressed._

_Sincerely,_

_Remus Lupin_

* * *

_Dear Remus,_

_My involvement with your dispute regarding Severus Snape is merely advisory in nature. The continued attacks upon him simply because he's in Slytherin House is childish and needs to stopped. If it so happens that I've come up with a few ideas on how to curb James Potter's immature behavior, then so be it._

_That said, I do have some interest in keeping things going. It helps with my magical learning…_

_Petunia_

* * *

_Dear Severus,_

_I'm enclosing a list of some new ideas that I've come up with for the Prank War. I think you'll find them quite interesting. For ease of searching, I've separated them by the primary method of delivery: elf, potion, charm, etc._

_I think for the time being and so as to not arouse the attention of the staff, you should keep to the simple, one-victim pranks. I'd hate to have you target the group and inadvertently affect the entire Gryffindor House. My sister should never be 'collateral damage.'_

_Petunia_

* * *

_Dear Petunia,_

_Thank you for the list of ideas. Yes, they were funny and creative and I find myself shocked that I'd admit that. I successfully brewed the numbing agent that could be incorporated into the chocolate drizzle for the biscuits and tested them out on a few unsuspecting House mates of mine. I mean, seriously? They want to tangle with someone who in this short time frame has already proven himself to be a superior brewer?_

_Sometimes I wonder about the magical world._

_Severus_

* * *

_Dear Lily,_

_How are you enjoying the results from the Prank War between James Potter and his friends versus Severus? I think that there's something to be gained from all these pranks, you know. It's an interesting study in strategic and tactical planning, an increase and faster absorption of the magical subjects and most of all; it's just plain FUN! You really should be getting involved. I have a couple of suggestions if you're interested! For example:_

_Create an aerosol that causes a person's sinuses to clog up like they're sick. (Try casting a spell when your voice changes because of a clogged nose!)_

_Charm their books to yell out inappropriate comments at random moments._

_Replace their wands with ordinary sticks._

_Hide a dead fish somewhere in their dorm._

_Replace the soles of their shoes with lead weights._

_See? So many possibilities, so little time!_

_Tuni_

* * *

_Dear Tuni,_

_You're really getting into this whole pranking thing aren't you? What do mum and dad think about this? It's not exactly the best usage of your time since you have to juggle regular studies with the magical ones…and I can't believe I just wrote that. I sound so old and mature! Ugh! Okay, I'm going to randomly pick one of your ideas and go cause chaos._

_Lily_

* * *

**Monday 9 October 1972**

The autumn weather of October was starting to be felt more often in the neighborhood and throughout the British Isles. Petunia had been dropped off after school by her mother who had to pick up the dry cleaning and run a few other errands. Thinking to make herself useful, Petunia dragged out the family cookbook and began browsing for a suitable dinner to make for the three of them. Trying to decide on whether or not to go with the usual English fare or try something different, she pulled out three recipes from the book while also contemplating something seasonal. She finally decided on an easy curried pumpkin soup with chunks of roasted beef along with a side dish of roasted Brussels sprouts.

By the time that her parents came home, the house smelled of the heavenly aroma of home-cooked food. Harry was delighted by the fact that his eldest daughter came up with this recipe all by herself and dug in with relish.

"I'm impressed, Petunia. What made you decide to start cooking?"

Petunia shrugged, "Mum had some errands to run after school and rather than just waiting around for her to get home _then_ start cooking something for us, I figured I'd help out and do it for her."

Marigold beamed at her helpful daughter and patted her hand, "Thank you so much dear. It means a lot to me."

After dinner and the clean up of the dishes, Petunia settled in her room to start on her homework. She separated her magical textbooks from her regular ones and first got the normal work done. The time passed quickly and before she knew it, her mum stopped in to wish her a good night and to not make it a late one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Tuesday 10 October 1972**

_Dear Lily,_

_Hello from the normal side of the divide! Hehe, I figured you'd get a laugh out of that. So what's new up there in the magical morass that is Hogwarts? Still enjoying your classes? Remus contacted me not too long ago and somewhat accused me of taking part with instigating a prank war between Severus and Potter/Black. I swear Lily; I had_ nothing _to do with that. After all, what could those proud magicals_ possibly _learn from a lowly hedge-witch like me?_

_All joking aside, the weather has turned absolutely delightful here. There's a definite nip in the air and a lot of my thoughts are turning towards Halloween and pumpkin spiced drinks. Do they have the concept of pumpkin spiced hot chocolate up there? Would you like me to send you a couple of recipes I've found?_

_Did mum tell you about the beef and pumpkin soup I made for dinner last night? It was delicious like nothing I've ever had before! I don't know what came over me but daddy's requested it more often and you know how difficult it is to get him to try new foods._

_I just wanted to let you know that I'm on course to taking my OWL for History of Magic at the end of this coming term. I got to say, it's nice being able to learn at my own pace for the magical stuff. Not to rub it in but not having to wait on the slower students in a class really helps with your self-esteem and desire to push ahead to get to the more fun subjects. My theoretical classes are on par with others in my age range. Potions are a lot of fun especially when I can get mum or daddy involved. The look on daddy's face when he created a perfect example of a hangover cure was priceless! I think he purposely went out to get drunk just to try it out. (It worked by the way.)_

_My astronomy learning is what it is, nothing earth-shattering there though the news about the proposed American space shuttle and the current Apollo flights are really interesting. I've become a regular visitor to the Royal Astronomy Hall and Planetarium so I get top-notch help with my homework._

_So what subjects will you be taking for third year? If you're anything like me, I'd recommend Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Don't hold yourself back in taking the harder classes. I've already been studying the Arithmancy subject a bit and I'm totally fascinated by it. I showed some of it to my teacher and she was impressed by how advanced it is._

_I had an interesting conversation with my teacher as well. She suggested that I consider thinking about what I want to do when I grow up. I told her that I was thinking of becoming a teacher like her. That being said, I'd like to do something that bridges the gap between the two worlds with a teaching credential to fall back on._

_Oh, don't tell mum or dad but there's a boy that's taken an interest in me. His name is Vernon Dursley. He's kind of cute and really athletic…_

_Love,_

_Petunia_

* * *

_Dear Petunia,_

_You were right about pranking being an excellent motivator to advance magical learning! I found this interesting charm in the library and used an elf to steal James Potter's glasses. Now, wherever he goes he cannot see in front of himself, only behind him! It's hilarious watching him trying to navigate around the room or the hallways by walking backwards._

_Professor Flitwick found out about it and offered to put his glasses back to their original state but Potter declined. I_ think _he wanted to figure it out himself. On a similar note, our 'relationship' for lack of better term has been improving. He and his friends no longer call me 'Snivellus' which is a relief._

_Severus_

* * *

**Friday 15 December 1972**

Despite having already taken an OWL exam, Petunia was nervous about taking this one. History of Magic was miles ahead in complexity with all the dates and important figures that she needed to remember versus the pathetically easy test that was Muggle Studies, which clearly showed just how out of date and out of touch the magical world was.

"Petunia Evans?"

She looked up to see the proctor waiting expectantly, "Yes, ma'am?"

The proctor motioned for her to enter the testing room. Sitting in the only desk in the room, Petunia pulled out her pen and some extra paper. The proctor handed her the test and told her she had an hour to complete as much as she could.

"On my mark…go."

Petunia flipped over the sheet and began reading and scribbling out the answers.

Questions ranged over topics covering the earliest beginnings of magic all the way up to the conflict that raged over the world during the 1940s. There were three essay questions at the end that asked for her to describe and give an opinion on the events surrounding the signing of the International Statute of Secrecy, the Werewolf Code of Conduct, and the formation of the Wizard's Council.

The time ticked by and finally the proctor cleared her throat and declared time's up.

Petunia let out an exasperated sigh of relief and handed in her test paper, "When will I get the results from this test, ma'am?"

"Barring any complications, I should have the results within the next two hours, Miss Evans."

"Thank you, ma'am." Petunia replied as she rose to leave the testing area.

* * *

Petunia anxiously waited in the Ministry's cafeteria sipping on a lukewarm cup of tea. Her eyes gazed around the room taking in the myriad of witches and wizards of different ranks and job titles going about their daily business. It amused her to think about their reactions if they knew that she was there as a second year student waiting on the results for a History OWL test. It made her grin even more when you took into consideration that she wasn't even a full witch! All of their bigotry about needing a certain level of magical ability or the right blood status flew right out the proverbial window when presented with someone like her outperforming fifth year students.

Finally, her name was called out on the public address system to report to the DoME. She practically ran down the hallway and skidded to a stop outside the door. The proctor smirked at Petunia's enthusiasm and handed over the results.

Passing Grades: (O) Outstanding, (EE) Exceeds Expectations, (A) Acceptable

**Fail Grades: (P) Poor, (D) Dreadful, (T) Troll**

On this day of 15 December 1972, the Department of Magical Education certifies that Petunia Evans has completed an OWL in **History of Magic** with the following grade of: **(O) Outstanding.**

Letting out a squeal of delight, Petunia jumped up and down and nearly gave the proctor a hug before thanking her over and over again. She quickly grabbed her belongings and raced out to the Atrium's Floo to get home to show her parents.

* * *

_Dear Lily,_

_Well, you don't have to worry about not revealing to mum and dad that there's a boy that likes me. Vernon was with me when mum came to pick me up after school and introduced himself all gentlemanly-like. Mum's impressed but I think daddy's holding out just on some sort of daddy-esque pride. It's all very silly…_

_Anyways, I just finished my History of Magic OWL and I got an Outstanding on it! That's two classes I don't need to worry about when I get to fifth year. It's a shame that the school won't let you take the test while there with the other fifth and seventh years, though maybe you could take it while you're here on winter break?_

_I got a good prank you could pull on Sirius Black. With his self-imagined charm, you could claim that he managed to 'charm' all the birds to follow him. In reality, it's a pheromone-based potion that you can spike his shampoo or soap with. It's designed to attract carrion birds like crows and vultures (Hehe). I'm enclosing the recipe here._

_Tuni_

* * *

**Monday 1 January 1973**

The Evans family was relaxing on the morning of the first day of the New Year. No one had any plans to do anything so it was just mutually decided it to be a lazy day. Marigold looked up from her knitting to observe her family and smiled to herself at how peaceful and happy they all were. She spotted Petunia reading an advanced runes textbook while a compendium lay open on the table next to her. In her eldest daughter's hands was an open journal in which she was scribbling in and wore a pensive look on her face.

"Something on your mind, Petunia?"

Petunia looked up from her journal with a moue of puzzlement, "Hmm? Um…no? I'm just trying to solve this vexing problem I've been having with connecting two items together and having it transfer information from one to another over long distances."

Harry snorted in amusement from behind his newspaper.

Marigold switched her attention from Petunia to Harry, "What's so funny?"

Harry moved the top edge of his paper down and gestured to his eldest with his chin, "Just the way she described her problem. Petunia? You do realize that what you described is probably pretty close to what the first radio and television makers experienced?"

Petunia's eyes widened in shock and she let out a loud gasp, "Oh, my god! I _completely_ forgot about that! I don't need to try to come up with anything new, I just need to copy and translate what they did into runes and charms! Oooh!" She said the last with a happy squeal as she jumped up out of her chair and raced upstairs to her room.

Marigold looked bemused as she glanced between Harry and Lily, "Does anyone else know what she's been working on?"

Lily nodded as she worked on a crossword puzzle, "Yeah, she's been working on creating a communications mirror to allow us to talk to and see each other even when I'm at school. If I recall correctly, she even managed to get the boys in my House interested."

Harry's eyebrow rose, "Boys?"

Lily merely grunted, "You remember me writing about that boy who is constantly trying to 'woo' me?" Harry nodded uncertainly, "well, he and his friends have been working on creating their own version."

Petunia came thumping down the stairs like a rampaging herd of elephants and dropped back down in her chair.

"How far along are they in comparison to your sister?" Marigold asked.

Lily leaned over to look at what Petunia had been writing, "I'd say that Petunia is farther along on the audio part so far. I really have no idea about what stage the boys are at yet since they like to keep their projects secret though I do know they _are_ working on it judging by the amount of notes I've seen scattered across the study tables at school and the whispers that I've heard between them when they think I'm not paying attention."

Petunia didn't even glance up, "Then how do you know if they are working on it? It could be ordinary school work."

Lily chuckled, "Because they quickly gather up and try to hide the papers whenever someone comes too close. They wouldn't do that just for school work."

* * *

Later that evening, a burst of static sounds erupted from Petunia's room and a loud yelp of happiness was heard. The door was flung open and Petunia thundered down the stairs and into the living room where her parents were listening to the evening news.

"Mum! Dad! I've done it!" Petunia crowed victoriously.

"Done what dear?" Marigold asked curiously.

"I've finally figured out the audio component to the communications mirror. I have the other unit in my room. Here's this one, wait until I call you. It'll vibrate when the call connects. To answer, you just say my first name." She said all this in a rush before racing back upstairs.

Harry just shook his head in amusement at his eldest's antics. Just then the mirror in his hands vibrated.

"Petunia."

The mirror appeared to get a less reflective sheen to it and Petunia's voice could be heard as if she were standing right in front of them.

"Daddy? I told you it works! How well can you hear me? Do you notice any distortions?"

"Everything seems to be working well, Tuni. I can hear you just fine. I don't hear any distortions."

There was another squeal of joy before they heard the thumping of Petunia's feet as she ran down the stairs.

"Good job, honey. We're proud of you." Marigold congratulated, "Just out of curiosity, how do you turn them off when you're done talking?"

Petunia pointed to a round button at the base of the mirror, "You just press and release that once. It disengages the connection."

Harry did so and handed back the mirror then asked her what the next step was.

Taking a calming breath to settle her nerves, "I need to integrate the visual components next. I'm hoping to get it done by my birthday but in the meantime, I really need to get the results and testing down for this part."

The next morning, Petunia demonstrated the mirrors to Lily who also congratulated her on her success. As she was handling it, Lily commented on how Petunia would need to find or make a protective casing for the mirror to keep it from getting damaged unless she was planning on keeping it at home.

"Another thing for a later date is to shrink the size of the mirror so it's the size of a compact."

Petunia nodded silently as she ate her breakfast. In her mind's eye, she was already designing new prospects for the device.

Just then the phone rang. Jumping up to answer it, Lily poked her head back into the kitchen and announced that it was Vernon on the line for 'the most beautiful girl in the world.' Blushing madly, Petunia yanked the phone away from her smirking sister.

"Hello, Vernon. What's up?"

Vernon's deep voice sent chills up her spine, "Happy New Year, Pet. Got anything planned for today or would you like to spend the afternoon with me?"

Glancing back at her mother who was slyly grinning behind her teacup and gestured that they didn't have anything planned, Petunia replied, "Nope, nothing planned here. Should we meet somewhere or did you want to stop by here first?"

Vernon smoothly replied that he'd be picking her up and for her to wear something nice. After she hung up, Petunia sighed dreamily and leaned up against the wall. She was drawn out of her reverie by the tinkling laughter coming from her sister.

"Well, if Tuni is done being silly, I'm going to be in my room working on my homework from Professor Slughorn. Say hi to Vernon for me, eh?"

* * *

All too soon, Lily was heading back towards Hogwarts while Petunia went back to high school and the parents went back to their jobs. Letters were written back and forth between Petunia and Severus in their mutual ongoing prank war with the Marauders. Petunia sent a couple of vials of a potion designed to change a boy's voice into a high soprano for an entire day. Another vial was sent a week later that caused the victim's teeth to vibrate.

Severus humorously proposed marriage in his last letter back to Petunia as he related how the Marauders and his other 'test subjects' responded to the potions.

_Dear Petunia,_

_I never thought I'd be having so much fun with these prank potions or just having fun in general. You know what my home life is like and unfortunately, this translates over to school life as well. I do like the opportunities I gain from having the Potion's professor be my Head of House but the rest of it is not…as well appreciated. There are constant plots within plots to gain a 'one-upmanship' over the other members of Slytherin House. It's tiring and frustrating!_

_There are times where I wish I could've gotten Sorted into Ravenclaw House! There at least, I'd have ready access to the second largest library in the school and not have to be constantly looking over my shoulder. I've asked about getting a re-Sort but Professor Slughorn says that it's not possible (at least to his knowledge.) I've tried looking in the School Charter but there apparently has never been a precedence for a re-Sort._

_I do want to warn you about openly associating with me. There are members of my House who wouldn't look kindly on…someone like you… practicing magic. Speaking of which, I've heard from Lily that you've achieved your OWLs? How is that possible? You started the same time she and I did! That's what, three years ahead of schedule?_

_Anyhow, the results from the prank potions you sent are hilarious! After seeing the results, I hereby wish to marry you. Just think of the chaos we could create! I especially like that tooth-vibrating potion. It makes the victim…er, test subject…effectively unable to speak a spell until it either wears off or is given the antidote. Our medi-witch, Madam Pomfrey comes across as a stern healer but you can see the humorous glint in her eyes as she sees the results when Potter and his gang are given a taste of their own medicine!_

_I mentioned this in a prior letter but it bears repeating but when it comes to James and his gang, they aren't all that angry and vindictive in their retaliation towards me. All three do know that I'm the one who has been targeting them but the retaliations seem almost…friendly and good-natured. I'm actually finding myself looking forward to seeing and experiencing what else they come up with._

_I can't explain it any better than that._

_Severus_

* * *

_Dear Severus,_

_It's good to hear that the potions are doing their intended jobs and that you're having fun with them. Just make sure that you don't intentionally or unintentionally target Lily. Not only would you have to face her wrath, you'd have to face mine._

_It's a shame about the living and social situations within your own House. I asked around the Department of Magical Education and to their knowledge, there is no procedure to re-Sort a student. It seems strange and rather counter-productive. What if a student needed to get re-Sorted for safety? I don't know the answer to your dilemma just that if things get to be that bad, go to Lily and ask for Sanctuary within Gryffindor House. If Potter and his friends or anyone else try to give you grief, calmly explain the situation to them. I have to believe that they could overlook a Slytherin sleeping on the couch for a couple of nights while the problem is solved. It's not like you're asking to permanently move into their dorms, right?_

_At the very least, go to the Deputy Headmistress and file a formal complaint. The better you document your grievances, the better and easier it will be to prosecute the offenders._

_You really want to marry me or are you just being silly? I should point out that I already have a boyfriend here in the muggle world and we're happy together. You get to visit the village there right? Take Lily out on a date and forget your troubles for the day. If any of your housemates give you grief, ignore them and be proud of the fact that you have a date and they don't_. _I say that you should sneeringly point this fact out and make them feel shamed into being alone. (Ask Lily for help with the wording, she's good at guilt tripping.)_

_In regards to James not being so vindictive, it could be something as simple as he's enjoying the little challenges you throw at him and see this as a friendly competition of sorts. I've read that Gryffindors are the sports nuts and physical sorts whereas the Slytherins are more cerebral in nature. This little back and forth you have going is probably just viewed as a game to him. Ask him sometime about his thoughts on it. If I'm right, this might be a good thing between your two Houses._

_Oh, as for your question about getting my OWLs done so fast? Yup, you're writing to the youngest OWL recipient for Muggle Studies and History of Magic! This is one of the benefits of studying at my own speed rather than having to wait on the slower members of a structured class. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Muggle Studies? Why would I take that since I live within the muggle world? Well, it's required if I want to have a career as a Muggle Liaison Officer. I have some plans that are in the works. You see, I want to be able to bridge the gap between our two worlds. The current MLO office is staffed by purebloods and while they do try, it's terribly mismanaged and unable to handle the flow of stupidity that comes from magicals trying (and failing) to blend in with the muggles. I want to be able to rise within the ranks to be the Head of the department and institute new rules on how to operate._

_I also look forward to completing the rest of my OWLs by May!_

_Wish me luck,_

_Petunia_

* * *

**Wednesday 14 February 1973**

Vernon was sitting with Petunia in the school cafeteria discussing with her their options for celebrating Valentine's Day.

"I do have something in mind but I'm worried on how'd you take it. First off, what's your view of magic?"

Vernon looked at her quizzically, "Magic? Really? Like card tricks and rings?"

Petunia shook her head negatively, "No, as in wands and flying brooms. Potions and spells sort of magic."

Vernon's face said that he was merely humoring her so she quietly pulled out her wand and caused his book bag to rise up off the table a bit. The look of shock and puzzlement grew over his face as he tried to explain to himself what just occurred.

Finally he turned to her, "Okay, I'm stumped. What did you do?"

Petunia gently explained how with a certain wave of the wand and a specific incantation, she was able to get his book bag to rise up. She showed him her wand and explained briefly the concept of magic. The look of worry on her face was evident as he glanced over at her.

"What's wrong, Petunia?"

"I'm worried that you'd break up with me because of this ability I have and think me barmy."

Vernon gave her a relaxed smirk and gently kissed her on the cheek, "You shouldn't worry about that. I'm puzzled about what you've done but so far, I haven't seen anything that should concern me. Is your idea of what we should do together for Valentine's Day something magical because I'm all for it. It looks interesting."

With an audible sigh of relief, Petunia began to outline what she had in mind.

"I was thinking that the two of us spend the day together at my parents' house this coming Saturday where I can show you just what it is that I've been learning. You know how good you are in chemistry class? I think you'd be a natural in potion making."

Vernon grinned slightly, "Any chance of being able to ride a broom?"

Petunia blushed slightly before shaking her head, "Not in my area, no. Too many non-magicals live there. There are laws governing what is and what is not allowed in certain areas but I think there might be a way if I can speak with my Ministry contact."

"There's a Ministry for magicals?"

Petunia nodded and offered to give him a better understanding of the magical world when they got done with school for the day. Vernon agreed wholeheartedly.

"Should I take notes, Professor Evans?" he teased lightly as Petunia playfully slapped his arm blushing madly.

* * *

When they met up at the Evans' house early on the Saturday after Valentine's Day, Petunia thought it'd be fun to greet him at the door wearing her witch's robes. Vernon took one look at her and laughed before nodding appreciatively at her appearance.

"Very nice, Petunia. If I were to get a set as well, would that be what I'd wear?"

Petunia chortled in amusement, "Heavens no! This is what girls wear. Wizarding robes are cut differently." She looked at him in askance, "Would you really want to wear wizarding robes?"

Vernon shrugged, "Why not? It looks comfortable enough."

Petunia grinned, "Then perhaps a day in our shopping district is just the thing to kickstart our celebrations? Let me get my purse and I'll take you via the floo. You'll _love_ the floo…"

Petunia showed and explained the Floo Network to Vernon before tossing in a handful of powder, taking his arm and leading the two of them through the fire. When they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Vernon stumbled upon exiting but managed to stay somewhat upright.

Grumbling at his apparent clumsiness, he was soothed by the knowledge that he wasn't the first or the only one to stumble upon exiting.

Leading him towards the back door and into the courtyard, Petunia demonstrated how to open the portal. Vernon's eyes grew wide as the bricks began moving and the gap widened.

Turning to face her boyfriend, Petunia spoke grandly, "Vernon? Welcome to Diagon Alley!"

* * *

Vernon's eyes and head were on a constant swivel as he tried to take in the sights at once. Shops and stalls full of merchandise that he'd never heard of or only read about in the history books. He spotted a shop that sold various household goods, a shop that sold flying brooms and other sports equipment and the bookstore. His nose caught the scent of a nearby food kiosk selling sweets and bubbling concoctions to drink. Everywhere he looked, there was something new and exciting!

"How are you holding up?" Petunia asked him in a bit of worry, as Vernon seemed to be a bit overwhelmed.

Letting out a bit of a sigh, "It's a bit much to take in all at once but I think I'm doing fine. It's not at all what I expected. It's clean and rather well organized. I keep picturing the dank and dirty marketplaces of the medieval times you see in the history books."

Nodding in understanding Petunia led him over to a teashop, "I think before we go any further, let's just stop and have a cup of tea. I'll explain anything else that you have questions on."

* * *

After a spot of tea and a bunch of questions answered that had been flying through his mind, Vernon allowed himself to be led towards Gringott's Bank. He got his first taste of another species when he laid eyes on the Goblin guards outside the door. Petunia explained who they were, what kind of people they were and what their modern job was. Hearing that they were bankers piqued his interest and while Petunia was in line to exchange some pounds to Galleons, he stepped up to another teller and asked if he had any literature on what sort of services the bank offered to prospective clients.

The Goblin teller brought out the requested brochures and gave Vernon a brief run-down of what they contained. For his part, Vernon asked about interest rates, Certificates of Deposits, security of the vaults, if stockbrokering was handled through the bank or if there were separate offices to handle that. The longer they spoke; it became clear to the teller that this was no ordinary human. Vernon had impressed the teller to the point where he was being offered discount rates to transfer his muggle accounts to their bank, something that was rarely if ever offered. The teller's mood and behavior towards Vernon even changed drastically. At the beginning of the conversation, it was clear that the Goblin was annoyed at being interrupted from his work but as they delved deeper into the financial questions, the teller began to smile happily and more often.

Finally, Petunia was done and sidled up alongside her boyfriend. A quick glance at her and Vernon ended their discussion with a promise to stop by soon to set up a vault and account. As they were descending the steps in front of the bank, Petunia turned to him and asked what it was that happened back inside.

Vernon huffed happily, "I think I impressed that…man? Being? Whatever…I think I impressed him with my knowledge of banking and a desire to make sure that I'm financially secure in life. I just wish that my current bank was this aggressive in making me money."

Petunia just smiled as she led him towards the clothiers.

* * *

Vernon Dursley was having a red-letter day in his opinion. He was spending it with, in his opinion, the most beautiful girl in the world, Petunia Evans. That the two of them were currently working their way through a hidden magical shopping district made not one jot of distinction for him! He had first traveled through a magical fireplace, spent a bit of time discussing future financial security with creatures known as Goblins then it was off to a clothing store where he was measured and fitted for his very first pair of wizarding robes. He was surprised at the quality and cut of the material, thinking that the history books had it wrong or at least uninformed; in reality, this Madam Malkin's had a wide variety of fabrics and styles.

When they stepped out of the store carrying their muggle clothes in a shopping bag, Petunia led him off to the bookstore to pick up some background reading material and a couple of new potion making tutorials. There were obvious differences between this bookstore and one he could find out in the rest of London but he was too entranced to care. Petunia waved to the bookstore owner before leading him off to the stacks.

Their next stop was to the apothecary to pick up some supplies for their potion making lessons later in the day. The sights and smells of some of the ingredients were different or in some cases strong enough to turn his stomach but he held it together for Petunia's sake. Finally, their last stop was at the store that sold brooms, Quality Quidditch Supplies.

The bell tinkled as they walked in, the scents of polished wood and leather permeated the air. The shopkeeper looked up from his reading and smiled at the approaching pair.

"Greetings and welcome to Quality Quidditch Supplies! How might I help you?"

"Thank you sir, we were looking at potentially renting a couple of brooms and needed to know if there was a secure area nearby to take them up?"

The shopkeeper shook his head and said that broom rentals weren't done in this store but there was the sister store in Hogsmeade that rented by the hour.

"Thank you sir, what would the floo address be for Hogsmeade?"

"You'd want the Three Broomsticks, miss."

* * *

When they got back into the Leaky Cauldron, Petunia inquired him if he wanted to go for a broom ride or to head back home to work on the potions and see some of her other work. He replied that he was curious to ride a broom and that it was too beautiful a day to be indoors. So Petunia threw in a handful of powder, called out for the Three Broomsticks and led Vernon on another ride through the Floo Network.

This time, he was prepared for the exit and therefore didn't stumble. Grinning happily, he was led towards the broom rental shop down the street from the pub. Petunia pointed out some of the other sights within the small village before pointing out the castle where Lily was currently residing and learning.

Frowning as he looked at the castle, he turned to Petunia, "Um, Pet? That castle looks like a moldy ruin. Are you sure that's where your sister is?"

Petunia stared at him curiously before it dawned on her that he was running afoul of the muggle-repelling wards.

Snorting in amusement, "Silly me. I forgot that you wouldn't be able to see the castle because of the security features that protect it. Unfortunately, I don't know of a way to negate that so you can see it properly."

Vernon shrugged and waved it off as not important, "It doesn't matter right now. I'm with you and as long as I can see you, I'm happy."

Giggling, she continued to lead him to the rental shop.

* * *

When Vernon finally arrived back at his parents' house at the end of the day, he truly could not believe what he had experienced. He got to take part in his very first broom ride, get period specific clothing, interact with other magical people and creatures and most amazing of all, witness magic performed as commonly as he would turn on a light switch!

His mother stopped by his room to see how her son was and was drawn in on a recollection too strange to be believed.

"They didn't do anything to you when it was discovered you didn't have this…magic?"

"Nope. They were pleasant and acted like ordinary folk. Granted, there were a few people who did look down their nose at Petunia and I but you get that anywhere."

"What sort of place is this Alley? Clean or dodgy?"

"Clean, brightly lit and festive. Not at all like the history books or stories of the medieval period would lead you to believe. Even their school subjects aren't too different from the modern stuff we learn. It's just labeled in the medieval terms."

"Such as?"

"Well, Potions is their version of chemistry. Charms is their physics, transfiguration is their engineering. It's all very interesting and could be possibly something I might want to check out later on. Petunia raves about some of the subjects as being far more interesting than their modern counterparts."

His mother tilted her head in apparent question and surprise, "How interesting?"

"Well, for example they have a method of near instantaneous travel between two fixed points using a specialized powder. It's thrown into a fireplace and you can go to anywhere hooked up to this 'Floo Network.'"

The look of surprise on his mother's face was amusing, "Any chance of an ordinary person being able to travel this way?"

Vernon shrugged, "I'd have to check with Petunia."

His mother smiled at her son and his adventure. She was glad he had found a kindred spirit in Petunia.

* * *

**Friday 9 March 1973**

Petunia was worried sick about Maya. She hadn't seen her best friend all day and no one was answering their floo or the telephone. Finally, she cornered her mother and convinced her to drive out to the Richards' home so she could hopefully find out what happened. When they pulled up to the house, Petunia's fears grew, as there were police cars and an ambulance sitting out front with the lights flashing.

She quickly got out of the car once it stopped and dashed up as far as she could before being told to get behind the police tape. She yelled out Maya's name and was relieved to see her friend poke her head around the side of the open ambulance door and wave to her. Pointing out her friend to the nearest officer, she was escorted up to the Richards.

Tearfully wrapping her arms around her best friend, she worriedly asked what happened.

Maya leaned in and quietly replied, "We were attacked by Death Eaters. We're okay, just some bruises and scrapes but mom and dad are rattled."

"Did they do anything other than bang you around? Did you lose anything?"

Susan Richards slid over to speak with Petunia and Marigold who had just arrived, "They didn't take anything but they did set fire to the house. Fortunately for us, there are fire-suppression charms built into the wards. The police are treating this as a home invasion assault."

Marigold offered the support of the Evans' family and a place to stay to which Tobias accepted.

"I appreciate that, Marigold. To tell the truth, I don't know how much longer we will be staying in Britain. If this keeps up, we may just move to one of the colonies."

The Richards were allowed back into their house to collect some of their clothes and personal belongings before being driven back to the Evans' home.

That evening, the talk was about the events and threats that Tobias and his family had been receiving from the Death Eaters.

"I don't understand their hostility to be honest. There are so many items that are used on a daily basis that are manufactured or can only be found in the non-magical world. To harass my family and me because we openly do business here is just ludicrous!"

Harry asked him what their future plans were.

"If things don't clear up? I feel then we'll be moving out of Britain. I have a lead for an open position in the United States."

* * *

Two weeks later, Petunia received a letter in the mail from Severus. In it, she learned that her hunch about James Potter's attitude towards the prank war between him and Severus was spot on and the two boys had reached an agreement to not be so nasty towards each other either in their pranks or during their interactions in school. He mentioned that Lily had even sent up sparklers and confetti as a joke that hailed their agreement as it might lead to a lasting peace.

Meanwhile, she had not been idle in creating new pranking items. Using some rather advanced charms and runes, she created a necklace that would cause the wearer uncontrollable flatulence. Another thing she created was a potion that would change a person's voice to be that of a whiny baby.

Remus wrote to her and accused her of perpetuating a war when peace was on the verge of breaking out. She wrote back and asked him if he were the victim…'test subject'… in question. Her response was from Lily stating that Remus had gotten the pranked necklace while Peter Pettigrew, another of James' crew, had been subjected to the potion.

' _I frankly can't tell the difference between Peter's pranked voice to that of his regular voice. They both sound the same to me.'_ Lily had jokingly written.

* * *

_Dear Petunia,_

_Do you happen to have a copy of the potions book titled,_ 'Muggle Medicines of the 1800s?' _I could've sworn you mentioned it in your collection from one of your other letters. I think I hit upon a solution to ease the pain of transformations for those suffering from conditions like lycanthropy. My biggest problem is I don't know anyone who has this problem._

_Any ideas?_

_Severus_


	5. Chapter 5

**Saturday 7 April 1973**

_Dear Remus,_

_How are things there in the castle? Things are going fine here back in the non-magical world. School is fine though a bit boring in comparison to my magical studies! I still wish I could combine the two but those damn Secrecy Laws are hindering my ability to learn. Did you get my last treaty on how to improve the quality of chocolate with the spiciness of jalapeno peppers? I shared some of my latest batch here at home and at school but I think I'm the only one who really appreciates it. Too bad for them and more for me._

_Listen, that communications project that I know Lily had turned you and your friends onto? I've been working on it here on my own and I figured out how to connect a pair of mirrors together! I only have audio right now but I'm sure that by the end of the month, I'll have a video connection as well. Did Lily ever tell you that it was my father who clued me in on the missing information? I couldn't believe how silly I was not to realize that there were others who had a similar problem and that I could just copy and translate their work into charms and runes!_

_As for my studies, I hope to be ready to take my OWLs for my core classes this May! I've been really impressing my examiners with my drive to get everything done ahead of the traditional schedule. I don't understand why though, it tends to happen with students who are home-schooled or just study on their own. Heck, I bet you could even take your OWLs now in Muggle Studies or History if you wanted. That's what I did and I've never been more proud. It certainly flies in the face of what the stuffed shirts say is 'normal.'_

_How have you been with the last couple of full moons? Lily wrote to me saying that James, Sirius and Peter have been sneaking out during the same time that you're 'under the weather.' I hope they aren't getting you or themselves into too much trouble. I also heard from Severus that he's taken an interest in finding a potion that could help alleviate the pain from the transformation (but will deny it if asked directly.)_

_Hope things are well,_

_Petunia_

* * *

_Dear Petunia,_

_YOU GOT THE MIRRORS TO WORK? Wow! We've been wracking our minds trying to figure that out. We got the video segment to work but couldn't figure out how to get the sound. Would you mind sharing what you've got? I can send you our notes as well._

_Interesting how we figured out the video connection. Yes, Lily did tell us of how your father clued you into translating the work of others so we did the same. James and Sirius got us into the Muggle Studies classroom and we 'borrowed' the television and the books the professor had there that explained the device. From there and like with you, it was a rather complicated matter of creating the charms and runes necessary to simulate the electronics. But we got it to work even if there currently is no sound. The picture quality isn't great but I think I know which array it is that handles that._

_I tried your chocolate creation and it's not a winner here. Keep hope though, not everything created is going to be a winner. Life would be too boring if everything worked perfectly the first time._

_I may use your suggestion to take the Muggle Studies OWL if only to have it done before the stress of fifth year! It'd be one less thing to worry about though I wish I'd have known about that option when I was signing up for the electives last month. I wonder if I could get that changed…_

_Anyways, the 'furry little problem' as James calls it is…going. I didn't know that the others were sneaking out during the same time but I wouldn't put it past them to do something stupid. Thank you for letting me know about Severus, his questions about the transformation are starting to make sense now. On a lighter topic regarding Severus, were you the one who suggested that he claim Sanctuary here in Gryffindor House if things got too tense for him in his own? You should've seen the look on everyone's faces when he did that last week. I thought their heads would've exploded from all the blood rushing up so quickly! There weren't any incidences of violence that night but you should've seen how proud McGonagall was when she found out about it. Then her anger made an appearance at Slytherin House for the necessity of Severus using said Sanctuary._

_I heard a rumor that McGonagall was looking into creating a special school rule just to get Severus that re-Sort he wanted though I doubt anything will come from it. The Headmaster seems to be against it for whatever reason._

_I'll send you our notes on the mirrors,_

_Remus_

* * *

**Wednesday 11 April 1973**

Today was Petunia's fifteenth birthday and she was understandably excited. Vernon had hinted of a special surprise waiting for her at school while Lily had sent her a present from Hogwarts via a special floo connection.

When she got to school, Vernon had gifted her with a Certificate to one romantic evening under the stars and a bouquet of red, yellow and white roses. He also serenaded her with his rendition of her favorite love song in the key of 'off.' It didn't matter to her though. She was teary-eyed in loving happiness for the rest of the day.

When she got home, she sat down with her parents in the living room and tore into the rest of her presents. From her parents, she received clothes and jewelry. From the Richards, she received a collection of rare books on Potioneering, Herbology and Charms.

The present from Lily was rectangular, flat and rather thin. When the paper fell, she gasped and marveled at the ornate mirror in her hands. Attached to it was a note that said, "Speak your sister's name."

Squealing in joy, Petunia said her sister's name and waited. The mirror changed opacity and within a moment, Lily's face appeared all smiles and waving.

"Happy Birthday, Tuni! Greetings from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Crowding in next was the images of Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. Petunia could just make out Severus in the background wearing a bit of a sneer on his face. Once the boys all wished her a happy birthday, she asked for Severus to come up to the mirror.

"Hey, just because the rest of these plonkers were crowding in like hogs at a trough; doesn't mean that I don't want to speak with you too, you know."

Severus just nodded mutely. His gaze shifted towards Lily who had been ignoring him. Petunia immediately picked up on the tension and inquired as to what sparked it. Lily tried brushing it aside but Petunia wasn't having it.

"Tell me, Lily. What happened?"

Lily sighed, "It's the other purebloods in Slytherin House. They've been saying some rather nasty things about me and Severus here, won't stand up and defend me."

James leaned in, "I was the one who did the right thing and pranked those idiots into oblivion for my lady." Lily just shoved him out of the way and could be seen slapping him on the arm.

"Get stuffed, Potter. Quit calling me your lady."

Petunia chuckled and replied, "That's because you _aren't_ a lady, Lily. Anyone who knows you can attest to that!"

That caused the others within hearing range to snort in amusement and several heads to nod knowingly. Lily just cocked an eyebrow at her sister's image but said nothing. Marigold entered the visual range of the mirror and asked if it would be okay for Lily to take the mirror around so they could see the castle.

Grinning broadly, Lily picked up the mirror and turned it around so they could see. She then proceeded to show off the Gryffindor Common Room followed by a quick jog upstairs to show off her dorm room. Once done with that, Lily headed out into the castle itself commenting on everything along the way. The Evans' saw the moving portraits, the Grand Staircase, other students, and a couple of the staff and got to witness magic being performed in the classrooms.

* * *

The caretaker, Argus Filch, stopped Lily as she made her way towards the Great Hall. He growled at her and wanted to know why she was apparently talking out loud to herself.

"But I'm not talking to myself, Mr. Filch. This here is a communication mirror and I'm describing the castle and it's inhabitants to my parents and sister. See?"

Filch saw Petunia and the elder Evans' waving to him through the mirror and the look of surprise blossomed on his wrinkled face.

"Oh! My mistake then, I'm sorry," he grunted gruffly before shuffling off.

The next adult to make an appearance was Filius Flitwick, the Charms professor. Lily called him over and introduced him to her family and mentioned that the mirror was a two part present to her older sister for her birthday. There was a definitive interested glint in his eye as Filius departed after a brief greeting and well wishing.

"Hey, Lily?" Lily turned the mirror to face her sister, "You know that he's going to want to know more about this mirror, right? Do you have the documentation on it and are prepared to explain it?"

Lily pursed her lips and nodded a bit, "Yeah, I got the documentation you sent but the actual creation of it was done by Remus and his friends. By rights, they should be the ones to describe to the professor."

"Well then make sure they're ready for it."

"Right. So, to continue…" She continued onwards to the Great Hall.

* * *

After they hung from the birthday call, Lily put away her mirror and pulled out her homework assignments for Transfiguration. Remus sat down next to her a few minutes later with a pensive look on his face. Noting this, Lily gave a brief huff of annoyance and turned to face her friend.

"What is it, Remus? What's with the look?"

Remus looked up in puzzlement, "Hmm? What look? This is my face, it's not a look."

Lily just laughed, "Yeah, right. You got the same expression on your face that you had when I presented you with the general concept for the mirrors. What is it? Don't think you're ready for the dissertation that you know Professor Flitwick is going to demand?"

Remus just smirked back, "Nah, that's easy. No, my conundrum is whether or not we can make more of them and should we?"

"Why not?"

"What if they were to fall into the wrong hands? Those Death Eater attacks are getting worse and what if one of them were to hit someone with an Imperious Curse and plant a mirror on their body somewhere. Any secrets would be instantly heard and compromised."

Lily glanced around her before leaning in, "What if you were to put a security feature on the mirror like you did with that map you and the Marauders are working on?"

Remus to his credit merely raised a curious eyebrow in response. He cleared his throat quietly, "Umm…how do you know about that?"

Lily gave him a superior grin, "What? You're not the only one around here that can ferret out information without being caught."

Remus gave her a pained look, "Okay, what did you do to Peter?"

Lily laughed, "I may or may not have hinted that if Peter gave up the information about the big project that you four were working on, I'd tell him the best time to watch Mary MacDonald doing her yoga exercises in those tight shorts she likes to wear."

Remus shook his head in admiration and disgust at Peter's creepiness, "You are one evil girl, you know that Lily Evans? With that sort of behavior, I ought to be able to convince the others into inducting you with the Marauders."

"I wouldn't mind. I'd have to be the silent partner since I have a squeaky clean record with the professors."

Again, Remus shook his head in bemused admiration.

* * *

Sure enough, the next day saw Lily and the Marauders being held back after Charms class to discuss the theory and construction of the communication mirrors. Lily brought out and set up her mirror on a stand while Remus, James and Sirius got the documentation and notes prepped and ready. Peter in the meantime was just sitting in his seat, nervously chewing on his fingernails.

Filius leaned back in his chair and began with a couple of questions on the history of the mirror. He asked who originally came up with the idea and why then followed up with questions about the general construction and what sort of charms were used in its development.

First Lily then Remus answered the questions as best they could. Lily turned the mirror onto its face to show off the rune array beneath the back cover that governed the power and operation of the audio and video transfers.

"It was really a fluke of luck that my father was sitting there listening to my sister describe the problems she was having in developing the array. According to my father, the solution lay not in trying to come up with a whole new feature but to merely copy and translate the results of what the makers of television sets came up with. He reminded both of them that the engineers at the manufacturing companies already figured out how to transmit sound and light from point A to point B and the efforts that Petunia had been feverishly working on was essentially trying to re-invent the wheel."

Filius examined the rune work and asked what was used to power the mirror. Sirius leaned in and pointed out a particular array.

"That there is a ambient magical energy absorption array. It's then tied into the rest of the… circuitry?" Lily nodded, "Right, the circuitry. It doesn't need to rely on muggle power sources."

James explained some of the developmental problems they had encountered such as solving the video issues but not being able to get the sound to work or having a focusing issue until they figured out that one of the rune symbols wasn't engraved properly. Peter described some of the limitations they had discovered such as the mirror not being able to work underwater, in shielded rooms within the castle and for some reason, over near the path that ran past the boat house towards the base of the castle.

Filius was stunned into silence that the five children before him created a technological masterpiece.

Glancing around at the five assembled students, "Miss Evans, you mentioned your sister was involved with this too?" Lily affirmed it, "Is she a magical as well? I ask because I feel that you all could write this up and get it published in several trade journals."

The boys were grinning at the news. Lily however was frowning, "Why would it matter if Petunia wasn't magical?"

Filius waved his hand dismissively, "It wouldn't matter to me but I'm thinking that the review boards for the journals might have a problem with it, given the political climate these days."

"Well, my sister is a hedge-witch so _technically_ she is magical."

"Then that would be most likely fine with the review boards. Small-minded fools the lot of them but…" he shrugged in resignation, "In the meantime, I'd like to bring in the Runes professor to also see this device as I'm sure she'd be thrilled to see the fruits of your labors?"

The Marauders and Lily had no problems with that.

* * *

**Friday 13 April 1973**

It was supposed to be a joke that bad things happened and were the result of witchcraft because of this day, at least to the younger generation. Vernon had jokingly suggested that they round up all the black cats in the neighborhood and hold a ritual making the two of them supreme rulers of the world. Petunia snorted and playfully slapped her boyfriend's arm.

The two of them were relaxing at a local teashop after school when they both heard a series of noises like gunshots. A moment later, louder noises sounding like explosions filled the air as did smoke and flames. People were running out of buildings screaming and were getting knocked down by figures wearing black robes and skull-like masks.

Petunia grabbed Vernon's hand and quickly led him to the nearest bathroom. Motioning for him to stay down and quiet, she reached into her bag and pulled out her communications mirror.

"Lily," she whispered.

It took a few moments but her sister's face appeared all smiles, which quickly morphed into a frown as Lily saw the terrified look on her elder sister's face.

"Petu…,"

"Shh! Go get a teacher, quickly! This is an emergency!" Petunia quickly demanded.

The mirror was quickly handed off to another person, Severus, who looked at the mirror with a questioning look on his face. He refrained from saying anything though as Petunia held up a finger warning of the need for silence. Turning from the mirror, Petunia quietly asked Vernon to get her notepad and pen out of her purse while she peeked outside the door. She spotted the Death Eaters striding up and down the aisles of the shop apparently looking for more victims. She pulled back inside and locked the door.

Vernon handed her the requested materials and she wrote down the pertinent information. Just then there was a tapping noise coming from the mirror, Lily was back and with her was Professor McGonagall. Petunia motioned to stay quiet and held up the notepad with the information written on it requesting help to be sent.

McGonagall squinted at the notepad, paled but nodded that the message had been received. Lily quickly copied the information down and held up another note pleading for them to remain safe.

After an hour of total silence, Vernon and Petunia heard the sounds of more spell fire then more silence. Her mirror went off once more and when she connected, she saw that it wasn't Lily but Professor Flitwick.

"Professor?" she whispered.

"I've just gotten word that the attackers have fled and the rescuers have taken control of your location." Both Petunia and Vernon slumped in relief, "There should be a man there answering to the name of Alastor Moody, he's the Auror in charge of the rescue. Keep this mirror on and I'll vouch for you."

The two stood up and unlocked the door only to come face to face with the man in question.

With a gruff 'Who are you?' they both gave their names before handing over the mirror. A few words were exchanged between Flitwick and Moody before Moody handed back the mirror.

"We've got a healer standing by if you need it," he said tersely, "Just out of curiosity, where'd you get those mirrors?"

"I developed them along with my sister and her friends at Hogwarts," Petunia said proudly.

Moody just grunted and nodded in approval.

* * *

After getting checked out by the onsite healer and given a calming draught to take the edge off, Petunia and Vernon made their way back to his place to try and get their wits back. Greeting them at the door was Vernon's sister, Marge and she didn't look too happy.

"Where the bloody hell have you been, Vernon?"

Vernon rolled his eyes and sighed noisily, "Not that it's any of your business Marge but I've been enjoying my day out with Petunia here."

Marge eyeballed Petunia beadily then sneered, "Rather weedy looking chit. Sure you couldn't have done better than this one?"

Vernon drew himself upright, "I'll have you know, _dear sister_ , that Petunia Evans is the most kind-hearted, interesting and beautiful person in the whole world. Now if you'll excuse us?" He pushed past her and led Petunia to their backyard.

After getting a couple of drinks for the two of them, Vernon sighed and tried to apologize for his sister's attitude.

"Vernon, don't worry about it. Yes, she's horrid but I'm not going to let one person drag me down to her level. What would that say about me as a person? I bet she's the kind of person that likes to spy and gossip about everyone about her!"

Vernon chuckled, "You got that right. Too nosy for her own good, she is. Very opinionated as well. Sometimes, I can't get a word in edgewise about anything."

* * *

Maya practically flew into Petunia's arms when she flooed over and was filled in on the details of the attack. She was really upset and worried that her best friend was part of such a horrific attack in broad daylight.

"Any word as to why they chose that particular location?" Maya inquired nervously.

Petunia shook her head, "No idea but I wouldn't put it past them to just choose a location randomly. The newspapers have been calling it an attack by the IRA but I think that the Ministry has been influencing them to say that in an effort to cover things up. That's what I'd do if I were in charge."

"Daddy's been getting more and more worried for all of us. Last night, I heard him speaking with mum about finally moving away from Britain."

"I hope you don't but I'd understand why he would want to. Britain's just not safe anymore. I know that my own parents have discussed it but they'd never be able to afford to move even if they wanted to."

Maya pulled out a Galleon of her pocket and started to nervously play with it. Tearily, she remarked how it would be nice if they could trade all of their gold in for pounds Sterling so both families could afford to move overseas.

Petunia replied, "It's a nice idea but not really feasible right now. Gold prices on this side are too low to make it worthwhile." Maya looked questioningly at her, "Vernon did some checking a while back when I told him about the economics of the magical world. At the current value of a Troy ounce of gold, roughly £46 and using the latest conversion between Galleons to Pounds of 5 pounds to 1 Galleon; my family's savings is good but not enough to move to anywhere nice in other English-speaking countries. Plus there's another problem to deal with."

"What problem is that?"

"If we were to trade back and forth too much, we'd run the risk of dumping too much gold into the market and devaluing the coins."

Despite her tears, this conversation had turned interesting to Maya. She dug around in her purse and pulled out her coin bag and dumped it onto the table. She counted out 12 Galleons, 2 Sickles and 16 Knuts. Putting aside the lower denominations, she asked for a pen and paper.

Handing it over, Petunia asked what Maya was thinking.

"Well, I'm curious as to how much money I have if I were to convert my wizarding money to muggle. You said that the value of gold is about 46 pounds?" Petunia nodded.

"Yes, and the value are based in Troy ounces. From what I know, each coin should weigh two Troy ounces."

"Okay, so I have 12 coins and each should be worth 92 pounds. Take that number and multiply that by the number of coins and I have…wow, 1,104 pounds!"

"Nice sum you got there. Now you know why you should always keep your purse secure," Petunia commented to which Maya nodded absently.

"Now the question is, if I were to take that 1,104 pounds and convert it back to Galleons…"

"Whoa, hold up there missy. You're getting into a rather shady thinking there. If you're thinking what I think you're thinking then you'd run the risk of not only Inland Revenue catching on and investigating but also the Goblins."

"But… if it would help to run this idea a couple of times then invest it elsewhere so as to help your family and mine so we could move somewhere safe, what's the harm?"

Petunia sighed, "Short term? Probably nothing but why run the risk? The IRS would be the least of our problems. For me, I'd be more scared of what the Goblins would try to do if they caught us."

Groaning in frustration but acceding defeat, Maya scooped up her money and put it back in her purse.

* * *

**Saturday 21 April 1973**

Petunia had requested and received amused permission from her parents and from Vernon not to be interrupted for the next two weeks as she prepared to take her OWL exams that she'd scheduled for the middle of May. She compiled all of her notes, quizzes and tests according to subject and spent hours going over each and every one of them. It was about midway through the afternoon when it dawned on her to contact Lily and ask her if she'd pass the mirror along to the teachers so they could help her with any questions that might arise during the session.

Professor McGonagall was amusedly impressed by the suggestion.

"This is definitely a novel way to instruct someone, Miss Evans. I've never known anyone else who would be so dedicated to learning that they'd come up with a whole new method of communication to do so."

Petunia just grinned, "To think that this mirror was a response to the appallingly slow communication methods that magicals have in place now…"

Minerva nodded and gestured to the notes that Petunia had ready.

After McGonagall, the mirror was passed around to Flitwick then onto Slughorn who again marveled rather condescendingly about its creation coming from someone like Petunia. In retaliation, she merely quirked one eyebrow and reminded him that Lily wasn't the _only_ one in her family that was skilled at potions and it would be beneficial that he remember who it was that suggested that Lily spike his favorite pineapple treats.

Rather than getting angry, Slughorn laughed and waggled an approving finger at her stating that statements like that were worthy of being a Slytherin.

Professor Sprout followed Slughorn and commented how nice it would be if all the teachers had one of these so they could contact the students' families to let them know what was going on in the school and at home. Petunia's questions about the different types of magical fertilizers and their effects on mundane plants had her thinking that a lot of non-magical food poverty could be solved if both sides got their heads out of their collective butts and work together. Pomona agreed but said that the powers that be would never go along with it because of pride.

Because Petunia already had her OWL in History, she didn't bother with Professor Binns so she had the mirror passed onto the Arithmancy professor then the Ancient Runes professor. Both were practically drooling at the thought of opening up the mirror and examining the inner workings.

"Professor Babbling? I thought Lily and her friends had demonstrated this to you a while ago?"

Babbling shook her head, "I wasn't in the school at the time because of family issues and I guess by the time I got back, I guess they forgot. After we get done here, I'll have them explain it to me then."

The Arithmancy professor, Septima Vector, quizzed her on a few calculations that would normally be part of the OWL and answered some questions that had arisen during the study period.

As an added bonus, the Astronomy teacher Professor Sinastra walked into the staff lounge and joined in on the conversation.

"Professor Sinastra? Have you kept up with the muggle developments in astronomy?" The professor nodded and said that she was looking forward to some of the planned Apollo missions.

"It's a real shame that Apollo 13 had that incident. It'll set the science back a few years but I am glad that the three astronauts are safe. I'm sure I'm not the only one but I'd love to take this mirror concept and enlarge it to the point where I could keep my students down in the classroom while I use a motorized mount to show the sky. It'd be like the Royal Planetarium they have down there in London or here in Edinburgh."

"Yeah, why is that no one in all the years the school's been in operation that something like the projector in the planetarium hasn't been tried?" Petunia commented questioningly.

Sinastra shrugged, "Money and politics probably. That and ego are the three biggest culprits. Once the muggles developed it, it probably a source of contention amongst the magicals."

Petunia looked thoughtful, "Well, after you have Lily and her friends explain the mirror theory, see if you can get them to build a larger version for your class. If you give them a big enough challenge, it might be enough to keep Potter and his cohorts out of trouble."

All three teachers laughed at the impossibility of _that_ ever happening.

* * *

**Monday 23 April 1973**

It was early in the evening when Lily called her sister to see what was new and to pass on the others well wishes to Petunia's studying for her OWLs.

"I got to say that you've impressed nearly everyone here at Hogwarts not only with your drive to succeed but also for sitting your OWLs nearly three years early! You should've seen the looks of envy on the Ravenclaws' faces. Hilarious, I tell you!"

Petunia grinned in response, "It's been a tough ride so far though. I constantly have to juggle with keeping my non-magical studies separate from the magical studies. I'm fortunate to have the support from two of my mundane teachers who have family within and knowledge of the magical world. They've helped me schedule my time and a location to study while the others are working on whatever the lesson of the day is."

Lily shook her head in exasperation, "Another classic example as to why the whole separation thing between our two worlds is outdated and just plain stupid!"

Desperate to change the subject, Petunia asked Lily what the latest was regarding the never-ending Prank War between Severus and the Marauders.

Lily giggled, "It's cooled off a bit but I really think they're actually collaborating on some things. There've been a few pulled that targets Slytherin house that wouldn't have been possible without an inside man."

Petunia goggled at her sister who giggled again in response, "Hang on there, Lily. I need to mark the date on the calendar. This is a historic moment when members of Slytherin and Gryffindor _actually_ have been getting along together! What else have they done? What have _you_ done?"

Lily shrugged and buffed her nails against her shirt, "I haven't really pulled off anything major. I did charm their clothes to act like a magnet so it became quite dangerous for them to wander through the corridors with the suits of armor or when they showed up in the Great Hall for meals, all the plates and dishware kept scooting over to them."

Petunia laughed uproariously at the mental image.

"As for the boys, they managed to prank the senior teaching staff with a undetectable truth serum then started the others off with asking all sorts of questions."

Petunia looked puzzled, "Isn't Veritiserum illegal to make and use in a school setting?"

Lily merely quirked an eyebrow and glared condescendingly at her sister, "Since when would something like that stop _them_? Then there was another pheromone prank that they managed to pull on the senior level Slytherins that caused the school's herd of Hippogriffs to follow them around like lovesick puppies."

Petunia was chortling at that, "What about the Headmaster? Have they managed to prank him? Isn't he like the Holy Grail of targets for pranking?"

Lily nodded, "Yeah, but no one has been able to successively get him. All magical attempts have failed."

"Well, there's your answer. Do to the Headmaster what you did to Potter during your first year. Go muggle with the pranks. I think the Whoopee Cushion has potential still, especially if you fill it with some kind of nasty smelling goop that makes everyone think he crapped his pants."

Lily's eyes boggled, "Oh. My. God… why didn't I think of that? Oooh, we got him now!"

Before signing off, Lily promised to let her sister know the results of the prank attack on the Headmaster.

* * *

It was Friday when Petunia's mirror buzzed while she was having dinner with her parents. Sighing, she pulled it out of her bag and activated it. To their delight, Lily's face appeared.

"Hi, sweetie!" Marigold said happily, "How's school going?" Harry moved his chair next to his wife's and waved at his youngest daughter.

"Hi everybody. School's going great mum. I've already begun my revising for the end of year tests and the only one I'm having trouble with is astronomy."

Harry spoke up, "What sort of trouble?"

Lily shrugged and frowned, "It's just trying to remember all the moons of Jupiter and their orbital positions. I'll figure it out eventually. Listen, Petunia… you know that idea you suggested back on Monday?"

Both parents looked over at Petunia with a bemused look on their faces. Petunia blushed a bit, "Yeah? The one regarding the magical versus non-magical pranks? What about it?"

Lily grinned widely, "It worked! You should've seen it! Oh my god, I thought McGonagall was going to burst a blood vessel from trying to hold back her laughter. The rest of the school had no problem and I thought the Headmaster was going to die from embarrassment!"

Now the elder Evans' had looks of consternation on their faces. Petunia just fiddled with her food before giggling, "Thanks, Lily. I'm going to be in trouble now. You couldn't have waited another hour?"

Lily just smirked in reply before signing off.

"Petunia," Harry drawled, "What did you do?"

Putting on her most innocent look Petunia retorted that she didn't _do_ anything but merely suggested an idea and that she didn't realize that Lily would _actually_ take her up on it. Shaking her head in exasperation, Marigold wondered out loud what happened to their sweet innocent girls that she'd raised.

Harry asked her point blank if they were going to be getting a visit or a letter from the school.

"Probably not. At least it wouldn't be directed at us about Lily. James Potter's parents might get one though…"

Harry took a deep breath and asked what the prank against the Headmaster was all about. So Petunia filled in her parents on how no one had ever been able to prank the headmaster magically because somehow, he'd always been able to deduce what was going to happen. This had led her to think that maybe if no one could get him _magically,_ then perhaps if someone were to get him _non-magically_ …

"So what was the prank?"

"Lily or perhaps one of the Marauders slipped a Whoopee Cushion filled with a nasty smelling goop underneath the headmaster's chair in the Great Hall before dinner."

"And when he sat down… right. I sure hope Lily wasn't implicated in this whole thing?"

"As far as I know, nope. I'll contact her later, but I'm pretty sure she merely suggested it to the boys and let them pull it off."

Both parents groaned.

* * *

_Friday 18 May 1973_

_Dear Petunia,_

_Thank you for the help in isolating the compound that gave the last pain-reliever its 'oomph.' I spoke with Remus and he said that the aches and pains from the previous night's transformation was noticeably less. I still don't know if there's an actual potion that would allow him to keep his mind after becoming a wolf but at least there's a noticeable drop in the number of self-inflicted injuries. I know that during the full moon, Remus can't remember what, if anything happens during the transformation but he does say that he gets a general feeling of being very…relaxed as if the wolf had taken a strong sedative._

_James and Sirius along with Lily feel that this might be worthy to write up in a paper but I feel that there's still some more work to be done. I want to work on finding a cheaper alternative. Any suggestions would be appreciated._

_Severus_

* * *

_Dear Severus,_

_The only other drug that even comes close with the sedative properties you described is Benadryll. It's easily found in just about any muggle pharmacy and is also inexpensive. Could it be that simple? I'm sending you my mirror for you to use, I want you to set up the other one in the Shrieking Shack during the next full moon transformation and take notes on your observations._

_Petunia_


	6. Chapter 6

**Friday 25 May 1973**

Petunia had decided and had received permission from her parents to take the entire day off from her regular school so that she could go down to the Ministry to take her OWLs. After exiting the floo in the Atrium, she nervously headed towards the lift to take her to the Department of Magical Education's office. After signing in and being told to wait, she tried and failed to not pace anxiously. She felt like she was about ready to pass out so she finally sat down and concentrated on her breathing.

Ten minutes later, the proctor directed her to an available testing room and began to outline the directions for the impending tests. The first one would be the written test for Transfiguration. She would be given an hour to complete the exam and when given permission, she flipped it over and began reading the questions.

_What is the incantation and the wand movement to change a matchstick into a needle?_

_When changing an animal into a water goblet, what are three things that must be accomplished before performing the incantation?_

And so the questions went on. Once that was done and the time ran out, she handed over the exam and took out the one marked for Charms. One by one, she answered the questions as best she could and nearly panicked when she saw the questions for Arithmancy. They looked absolutely _nothing_ like the level of problems she had studied for.

"Um, excuse ma'am? I think there's a problem here with this test. This looks more advanced than OWL level."

The examiner looked puzzled but that cleared when she saw the test in question.

"Yes, you're right. My apologies, this is for the NEWT level tests. One moment while I go find the proper test."

Five minutes later and a much-relieved Petunia began the correct exam for OWL Arithmancy.

* * *

Once all the written exams were completed, Petunia was given a ten-minute break while the practical portions were set up. She came back into the exam room to find a table set up with an array of items. She was then instructed to perform the proper wand work to return them to their original shapes or change them into something else.

Puzzled, she turned to the examiner, "Um…were you aware that I'm a hedge-witch and barely have control of a wand?"

The eyes of the examiner grew wide, "No, I was _not_ made aware of that. I'm sorry my dear. Let me find the proper practical testing for you then. Just out of curiosity, what was your score on the Magical Index?"

"249."

"Okay, that helps. Normally, the test you see before you would've been geared towards a regular wizard or witch. Being a hedge-witch means there are certain things that you wouldn't have been able to accomplish and would've affected your score. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"Will I have to tell the next examiner about this or will you be proctoring all the practicals?"

Smiling, the examiner replied, "I'll be there for all of them so I'll tell the others."

* * *

When she got to the part of the Runes test, it was apparent that Petunia was holding back her knowledge. When asked about it, she nonchalantly replied that her work on a communications device with her sister and their friends meant that anything given here was incredibly simple. They pressed her for more information and so she pulled out the mirror from her bag.

Beginning her explanation, she opened up the back of the mirror and described what sort of runes and charms were needed in order to link the pair of mirrors together along with the difficulty in getting the sound and visual components to work properly and over long distances.

"To all my utter embarrassment, it turned out that my father was the one who had the epiphany to suggest that we look to those who had already created radio and television sets and the accompanying transmission equipment then translate that over to the runes and charms used here."

The examiners were completely flabbergasted of what was being shown off and asked her if she wouldn't mind contacting someone on the other end.

Shrugging, she activated the mirror and called her sister's name. It took a few moments before Lily's face appeared with her holding one finger over her lips in the universally recognized motion of needing silence. But it was to no avail…

"Miss Evans? Kindly put that mirror away. You're in the middle of class and I cannot have you speaking to your sister at this time," Professor McGonagall was heard commenting.

Sighing, Lily looked apologetically at Petunia before moving to disconnect.

"Wait, Lily! Put the professor on!" Petunia called out.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall's face appeared and she didn't look happy at the interruption, "Yes? Miss Evans, I'm busy trying to teach here. What is so important that you felt necessary to interrupt?"

The lead examiner for the Runes test chose that moment to move into the field of view, "Minerva? The elder Miss Evans is here at the Ministry to take her Runes OWL and it became clear to us that she was holding back her knowledge and when pressed, the discussion led to the development of this mirror. We apologize for interrupting your class and hope that the younger Miss Evans won't get into trouble for it."

Perking up at the sound that Petunia was taking her OWLs, Minerva excused both girls for the interruption and gave her well wishes to Petunia on getting a good result and to let her know the score before turning the mirror back to Lily. Lily also gave her well wishes and signed off.

Turning back to the examiners, Petunia shrugged and asked if there were any other questions. There were none.

* * *

Petunia arrived home late in the evening after an exhausting day at the Ministry. Her parents had decided that regardless of the results of the tests, they were going out to dinner that night to celebrate. Petunia half-heartedly worried that it would be all for naught if she failed any of the tests to which both Harry and Marigold laughed and said that after all the studying that she did and all the help she'd received from the teachers at Hogwarts, if she failed then there was something corrupt and wrong at the Ministry.

Petunia grumped, "It's the government, _of course_ there's something corrupt and wrong."

Her parents just grinned at their eldest daughter's ruminations.

"So when will you find out the results from the tests?" Harry asked.

Sighing deeply Petunia replied that it should be within a month or so though she was hoping that because she took it so much earlier than the rest of the normal 5th years, she'd get the results sooner.

"Well, the sooner the better but we'll just have to wait and see. At least now you can concentrate on your non-magical stuff without having to worry about cross-contamination of materials," her mother soothingly said.

* * *

**Saturday 16 June 1973**

Petunia spent the day with Vernon and his group of friends down at the local sports park. Vernon had taken up rugby and was in her opinion, quite good at it and looked very…fit. She smiled and waved every time he got her attention before concentrating on pummeling the opposing force. When she wasn't watching the field, she was talking to the other girls who accompanied their boyfriends about various topics.

"Did you all hear about the latest attack by the Irish?" asked one girl as the others crowded in.

"Yeah, I heard they bombed the area in Coleraine, County Londonberry of Northern Ireland. Killed a bunch of people and injured more. They're a bunch of animals is what they are and that's insulting animals," groused another.

Secretly, Petunia wondered if it really was the IRA or if was the Death Eaters. Either way, she'd be keeping her ears and eyes open for any more trouble. She didn't want a repeat event like she had a couple of months ago.

After the park, Vernon was invited back to her place so they could continue their date. While he was using her shower, she was busy in the kitchen making up a plate of dinner for the two of them. Both Evans parents were grinning at the sight.

"Petunia?" her mother inquired teasingly, "You sure you don't need any help?"

Petunia turned and glared exasperatedly at her mother who was practically bursting with humor. She then turned to her father and caught him trying not to laugh out loud.

"Really? You both know that I'm an excellent cook and more than capable of feeding both myself and my boyfriend."

Harry finally let out a guffaw before getting up and giving his eldest a kiss on the cheek, "We know, honey. It's not every day that we get to tease you about this. You're growing up so fast. Before you know it, you'll be married and moving out. Who then are we going to tease?"

Petunia harrumphed, "There's always Lily. She won't be moving out anytime soon."

Marigold sighed through the leftover bits of laughter, "Yes, but she's away at that school for most of the year so we have to get it in now."

It was to that laughter that Vernon came walking into the kitchen with a puzzled look on his face.

* * *

The next day, Maya flooed over to the Evans residence and it was apparent that something bad had occurred.

"Maya? What happened? Is everything okay at home?" Petunia asked worriedly.

"Everyone is fine though I come with sad news. My father has decided to move us all to Canada to take a better job that came up. We'll be moving at the end of the school year," she sniffed unhappily.

Petunia gave her best friend a comforting hug and told her not to worry, "It seems bad now but I know you, you'll have all new friends and you won't have to worry about being attacked or potentially killed by all the stupidity around here."

"I know! That's what's worrying me. What are you going to do to make sure you're safe? I wish I could take you to Canada with me!"

She couldn't answer her best friend.

* * *

**Friday 22 June 1973**

It was at breakfast when Petunia received her OWL results, ironically _by_ an owl that flew through the kitchen window. She gave the bird a treat and untied the letter from its leg before letting it fly off. Taking a deep breath, she opened the envelope:

**Passing Grades: (O) Outstanding, (EE) Exceeds Expectations, (A) Acceptable**

**Fail Grades: (P) Poor, (D) Dreadful, (T) Troll**

_On this day of 22 June 1973, the Department of Magical Education certifies that Petunia Evans has completed an OWL in:_

**Arithmancy** with the following grade of: **(O) Outstanding.**

 **Astronomy** with the following grade of: **(O) Outstanding.**

 **Charms** with the following grade of: **(O) Outstanding.**

 **D. A. D. A** with the following grade of: **(EE) Exceeds Expectations.**

 **Herbology** with the following grade of: **(EE) Exceeds Expectations.**

 **Potions** with the following grade of: **(O) Outstanding.**

 **Runes** with the following grade of: **(O) Outstanding.**

 **Transfiguration** with the following grade of: **(O) Outstanding**

Petunia's screams of joy could be heard down the block.

* * *

At ten, the Evans family arrived at King's Cross Station to pick up Lily. Petunia guided both of her parents through the floo, something that made her father very happy about. When asked why, he commented that it meant no longer having to wade their way through the traffic or the crowds to get there. Now all he had to worry about was get nauseous from the spinning the floo caused a person to experience.

"Hmmph, something else to think about for my NEWTs," commented Petunia.

"Oh? Which class would that fall under?" her mother inquired.

"Dunno, maybe Arithmancy? Anyways, I started a list of NEWT topics that I have to do a project for."

"What sort of projects?" Harry asked.

"Well, for Arithmancy I was thinking of introducing a mechanical calculator that would allow for faster computations though now that I think of it, I'm wondering if I can use the same runes we used to power the mirrors to power an electronic calculator?" She pulled out a notebook and pen and quickly scratched in a note, "Because I'm on the abbreviated program for hedge-witches, I don't have to worry about some of the other heavy wand work classes like Charms, Transfiguration or DADA. I will be taking Herbology simply because I enjoy the class and I'll be also taking the advanced Ancient Runes class."

"You're only taking three classes?"

Petunia shook her head, "No, those are the only classes I have any idea as to what my final project will be for. I'm taking a couple of more classes."

"Like what?" her mother asked.

"I want to take advanced Muggle Studies, Magical Law and Advanced Potions with a possible lead in to Healing."

Harry grew thoughtful, "Why those classes?"

"I want to be able to get a job in the Ministry as a Muggle Liaison Officer so I can help bridge the divide between the two worlds and make it easier to understand for the new families coming in and also to help the magicals stick out less when they come into ours. I was also thinking of getting a non-magical teaching degree but that's a ways out."

Just as her parents wished her luck on her ambition, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station.

* * *

Lily disembarked and was handed her trunk by Severus who in turn helped get the other boys' trunks down from the carriage. This year was shaping up to be his best yet. He had friends who weren't using him just to advance their own ambitions. True, Peter seemed to be as cowardly as they came but James, Sirius and Remus were shaping up to be true friends. Also true was even though there were pranks thrown at each other, none of it was malicious as he'd originally thought. He would be eternally grateful for the eye-opening advice from Petunia on how to deal with the seemingly childish ways that were the Gryffindors and also for their welcome when he requested Sanctuary, once they understood why.

With a casual wave of his wand, he charmed Sirius' hair pink with sparkles in it. He smirked as soon as he saw that Lily spotted him and slowly shook her head. Remus noticed it too but didn't say anything and James was too busy trying to chat up Lily to bother to look around. Peter had drifted off, probably looking for his parents.

The group arrived where Petunia was standing with her parents. Severus had arranged with his mother that the Evans' would be taking him to their place then driving him back to Spinner's End.

"Welcome home!" cried Marigold as she wrapped her arms around Lily. Harry shook Severus' hand before moving onto the rest of the boys. He stopped at Sirius and asked the boy why his hair was sparkly pink.

With a puzzled expression, Sirius transfigured a scrap of paper into a mirror then screeched when he saw his reflection to the joined laughter of the others. Spinning around he accused them all of making a fool out of him.

"Awww, lighten up Sirius. You need a bit of color anyways," chuckled Severus.

"I'll get you back, you plonker. How…I don't quite know yet but I will!" Sirius exclaimed to more snorts of laughter.

Charles and Dorea Potter chose that moment to arrive and before Sirius could hide the state of his hair, burst into laughter before inquiring which of the others were responsible.

"Lily did it," Petunia quipped. Lily let out a squeal of indignation.

"Did not!"

Sirius shook his head, "Not her style. Too flashy to be Lily. Nope, still blaming one of these idiots."

" _Idiot?_ " Severus mockingly gasped, "I'll have you know that I'm no ordinary idiot."

Remus snorted, "Yeah, he's an _extraordinary_ idiot." Severus blew him a raspberry and tried to wrestle him onto the ground.

Dorea rolled her eyes and congratulated the Evans' on having only girls and therefore not having to put up with all this testosterone stupidity. Harry grinned but countered with having to put up with never-ending bathroom lines and astronomically high telephone bills. Both Evans daughters squealed in protest.

"Though I must admit, with the invention of those mirrors, she's cut down a bit." He said chuckling.

As they were preparing to leave it became apparent that Remus' and Sirius' families had not arrived yet. The Potters offered to take both boys home with them while Severus explained that the Evans' were taking him home. With that and some well wishes for the summer, they left for home.

* * *

Once they got home and Lily dumped her trunk in her room, the Evans' and Severus gathered in the living room to catch up on the previous school term.

"It's kind of weird catching up like this now that we have the mirrors working. I could've sworn that I've already told you everything that's happened," commented Lily.

"Yes, dear. But we haven't heard from Severus' side of things now have we?" remarked Marigold as she turned towards the boy in question.

Releasing a deep breath, Severus explained the events and things he'd learned or encountered over the past year. He spoke at length about what life in 'The Snake Pit' was like and how the denizens viewed each other as mere stepping-stones to achieving their own ambitions. There were no true friends like there was in the other Houses.

"I will be forever grateful to you Lily and to you Petunia for helping me overcome my own prejudices towards the other houses, especially you Petunia. Your help in understanding that they are knuckle dragging morons that use the practice of pulling pranks on others is merely their form of communication."

Petunia snorted unladylike while Lily mock glared at him. The Evans' adults merely laughed.

Lily glared once more at Severus' impudence before turning on her big sister and demanding to know what her OWL scores were.

"Oh, that's right…I did take those tests," Petunia mockingly replied before smirking at her younger sister, "Now where did I leave those results?" She said tapping her chin.

Marigold chuckled at the interplay between her daughters, "They're on the kitchen table, dear."

Lily jumped up and raced into the kitchen. A loud squeal was heard a moment later.

"You got _six_ Outstandings?" she hollered as she read the results page.

"Lily, there's no need to shout. We can hear you just fine from here," her father dryly remarked.

Lily returned with the report in hand and flopped back down in her chair, "How did you end up taking a test in some of these subjects, like Transfiguration? They'd require a wand."

"Well, they knew that I'm a hedge-witch so they have a different test for people like me. It's just mostly theory based questions with a couple of essay questions thrown in for measure."

"What was the potion test like?" asked Severus.

"Well, that one was different since it didn't require any wand work. There were fifty multiple choice questions on identifying ingredients, what type of cauldron would you use for a given scenario, a couple of essay questions to see what sort of personal views I would have on a scenario. The practical exam had me brewing three different potions of increasing complexity and before you ask, they have a list of brews that they use so you can't study ahead for them."

Severus leaned back in chair and nodded acceptingly, "It makes sense that they would do that. Keeps anyone from cheating by practicing ahead of time."

"So how many OWLs do you have now, Tuni?" Lily inquired curiously.

"Well, let's see. I have one for Muggle Studies and History… then there are these eight, so that makes it ten. Ten OWLs and I'm only starting my third year." She said the last bit rather smugly.

Both Severus and Lily shook their heads in amazement before Severus inquired, "What do you plan on doing next? Will you be continuing onto your NEWTs?"

Petunia nodded, "I eventually want to get an intern job at the Ministry in either the Muggle Liaison Office or perhaps in one of the other departments that interact with the non-magical world on a fairly regular basis."

"Oh?"

She nodded, "It's my dream to be able to become a link or a bridge if you will, introducing new muggleborn kids and their families to the magical world and to help ease the apparent lack of logic that magicals seem to be inflicted with when they travel to the wider world."

Lily looked pensive for a while. Harry finally asked her what was troubling her. She looked up and saw everyone was staring at her concernedly, "Oh, nothing is troubling me. I'm just trying to think of whom I know in the magical world that Tuni could talk to about achieving her dream. The only one I'm aware of that would have no problem talking to a muggleborn would be James' father, Charles. I _think_ he's some kind of politician or something. Sev? Do you know if James' father is someone to talk to?"

Severus thought for a moment before nodding his agreement, "Yeah, I think Mr. Potter would be your best bet. I know that Sirius' father also does something with the Wizengamot but he's definitely against muggleborns."

* * *

**Saturday 23 June 1973**

Petunia was sitting at the breakfast table working her way through a bowl of cereal with one hand while reading the morning edition of the _Daily Prophet_ , the wizarding newspaper which she had recently taken out a subscription for. It made sense to keep apprised of the events in the magical world even though the stories written were always slanted to make the Ministry look good.

Harry had read it earlier and declared it to be on the same level of crappy 'journalism' as _The Sun_ or _Daily Mail,_ in other words not worth the paper it was printed on. Marigold had glanced at it and requested whoever had it last, save the crossword puzzle for her to take a crack at.

"You sure about that, mum? Any of the words would be magically based." Lily had asked.

Marigold had shrugged, "Should be fun to try anyways."

Severus called about ten in the morning to see if Lily had any plans for the day. She replied that her plans were open and asked him what he had in mind. After both deciding that a visit to the movies was top priority, the two set a time and hung up. A few moments later, Vernon called and pretty much set up a similar date with Petunia.

"Lily and her friend are going to the movies; you want to make it a double date?" She asked him.

"Sure, if it's okay with Lily. If not, then how about a trip north to Hogsmeade? You and I can spend the day flying brooms."

Petunia grinned even though he couldn't see it, "Got you hooked on flying, eh?"

Vernon's chuckle was the only response she needed before agreeing to the plans.

Petunia and Vernon stumbled out of the Three Broomsticks floo around one pm and headed off to the broomstick rental shop. When they entered, they found out that they weren't the only to have a similar idea. Vernon leaned over and quietly suggested that they rent one broom and go for a leisurely ride together. Petunia blushed brightly but silently nodded her agreement.

The two lovebirds rented a nice stable two-seat broom and set off over the valley. They flew over the farms and ranches that dotted the landscape then over the roaming herds of various magical beasts that lived in the area. When their time was up, they headed back and mutually decided to have lunch at the pub.

Afterwards, they ambled around the magical village and browsed through some of the stores. Petunia picked up a few muggle safe sweets at Honeyduke's while Vernon picked up some books on magical sports and a book on an Introduction to British Magical History.

"I could've lent you my history textbook, Vernon," Petunia commented when she glanced through his selection.

Vernon just shrugged, "This one reads more like a written account of the events rather than just information to be gathered and asked questions of like in your textbook."

Their next stop was in Diagon Alley because Vernon wanted to meet with the Goblins again to set up an investment vault and account. When it was his turn he approached an unoccupied teller, gave the appropriate greetings and asked to speak with someone about setting up an account.

"Do you have the necessary forms?"

Vernon handed over the file folder with all of the needed forms and identification. The Goblin teller took a few moments to review what was inside then nodded once. He pressed a recessed button on the desk and told the two of them that an available account manager would be along shortly and that they could have a seat in the waiting area before handing back the file folder to Vernon.

A couple of moments later, Vernon's new account manager arrived.

"Vernon Dursley? I am Account Manager Ripclaw. I shall escort you to my office where we'll get the last bit of your account setup."

Once inside Ripclaw's office, the process was smooth and fast. Vernon signed a standard contract that outlined what was required of both parties to ensure that there wouldn't be anything illegal tendered such as Level 8 Dark items, nothing living was to reside within the vault, fees had to be paid on time, etc. He also handed over the bank transfer check authorizing an exchange of funds.

"Just what is a Level 8 Dark item?" inquired Vernon.

"Those are items that deal with Soul Magic. While highly unlikely that a muggle such as yourself would have access to such vile things, it's just part of the standard contracts."

Petunia leaned forward, "What would happen in the event, hypothetically, if one of those items did enter the bank? How would you be able to identify it?"

Ripclaw gave a sneer back, "Hypothetically then there are security features built into the bank's foundation that would alert us."

Petunia leant back in her seat with a thoughtful look on her face. Vernon spotted it and nervously asked her what she was thinking.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just a stray thought popped up that makes me wonder if someone's ever tried to get something like that into their vault while encased in something shielded?"

Ripclaw glanced up at her while he was putting together the last of the paperwork, "Why would you think of such things?"

Petunia shrugged, "I like to solve puzzles and random, crazy ideas like this pop up. I meant no harm."

Ripclaw nodded in acceptance, "But at least you like to think of such things. Most magicals never do."

* * *

When Petunia finally stumbled out of the Evans' floo, she felt as if she could fly without the aid of a broom or magical spell. She distantly heard the sound of her mother and sister giggling at her and lazily waved at them as she headed upstairs. Vernon turned to the others (Severus was still there) and grinned proudly.

"You two have fun?" Lily giggled.

"Yup. Lots of fun. Rented a broom and flew all over the valley then had lunch at the pub there. I am so glad that Petunia introduced me to magic."

Severus chuckled, "I know how you feel; I was raised mostly magical so I still feel a thrill when we go into town."

"Which movie did you go see?" Petunia asked Lily.

"Well, the one we wanted to go see was sold out so we ended up seeing the new James Bond film, Live and Let Die. I think Severus enjoyed that one. I'm also thinking that movie gave me a few ideas for pranks against James and Sirius when we get back to school."

"Now there's an interesting idea, Lily," Severus replied, "how to introduce movies to the magical world."

Lily chuckled, "Can you picture all those high-brow elites singing and dancing along with some of the Disney pictures?"

Severus snorted, "Yeah, I could just imagine Lucius Malfoy singing along with 'I want to be like you' from The Jungle Book."

* * *

The next couple of weeks were spent in teenage bliss as the two sisters joined forces with each other and rounded up the boys in their lives as well as a couple of Lily's female friends from school. The group then traveled to just about every hotspot in Southern Britain. They went to the beach where James unsuccessfully tried to learn how to surf; Sirius got a chance to try out a windsurfer board and promptly decided that he'd spend all of his inheritance money to open a similar shop. Vernon and Remus hit it off and spent several hours discussing various intellectual topics up to and including the Statute of Secrecy and how it applied to a modern muggle world.

"I've taken a look at the so-called muggle studies textbook that Petunia used for her self-study and after I got done laughing, I realized that it wasn't a joke. Your side really believes that automobiles are still hand cranked, electricity is a 'mysterious' concept and people still dress up to walk outside. It's no wonder why so many of your kind get into so much trouble here."

Remus smiled sadly, "The worst part I think is when they either get arrested for doing something illegal, while not realizing it's illegal, a wave of their wands and the problem just goes away."

Petunia dropped down next to the two of them, "Having fun being armchair philosophers?" Both boys just blushed in response.

One stop that was a must-see on their whirlwind tour of London was at Harrod's. Both Evans' sisters made sure that everyone was dressed appropriately as the store had a strict dress code policy. When they entered the lobby, all the magically raised were stunned into silence. While they had seen interior electric lighting after visiting the boardwalk arcades during their visit to the beach; this was on a whole another level of opulence.

Petunia stepped forward to act as their guide, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, we shall be going through the store as a group so you all have a chance to see what's here then we'll let you wander as you see fit. There are seven floors of merchandise to be seen. Everything from a child's hairclip all the up to everything you'd need to furnish a whole room."

James and Sirius along with the other magically raised were going through sensory overload! Seven floors of merchandise and all of it was of a quality that the stores in Diagon Alley would find to be utterly impossible to match!

"James?" Sirius mock whispered, "Maybe we ought to get our parents in here too. I'd love to show my folks that the commonly held beliefs of muggles aren't true."

James nodded silently, his mind still reeling from the sights and sounds.

When the group stopped to have lunch in one of the restaurants there, everyone was chattering away describing the things they'd seen or heard about from the others. Petunia and Lily were fielding questions from the girls while Vernon was doing his best to answer the ones from the boys.

Severus leaned over and commented how this trip ought to be used as the Muggle Studies class to which Vernon nodded absently as he turned to talk with Remus about to write a proposal to standardize muggle and magical currencies.

After lunch, the group split up to head back into the treasure cave that was Harrod's.

* * *

**Monday 16 July 1973 Muggle Liaison Office**

"Hi there. My name is Petunia Evans and I'd like to find out how to apply to become an intern for this department."

The desk clerk smiled as she looked up at the fresh-faced perky girl that stood before her.

"Well, this is a surprise. It's not every day that we get someone in here who _wants_ to be a part of our team. Do you have your transcripts young lady?" Petunia handed over a copy.

"Well, color me impressed. Ten OWLs, are you _sure_ you want to be an intern in this department?"

Petunia nodded eagerly, "Yes, ma'am. It's my dream to become someone who not only has knowledge of and lives within the non-magical world but also has links to the magical world so I can assist new muggleborns and their families make the transition easier and earlier. I also wish to assist any magical who needs to enter the non-magical world and not make a complete fool of themselves."

The clerk laughed out loud at that statement. _'Yup, this department definitely needs someone like her!'_

"Welcome aboard, Miss Evans. You're hired."

* * *

The next couple of hours were a whirlwind of activity and forms to be filled out for Petunia's entry into the Ministry. After finishing with a seemingly endless tower of paperwork at the Wizarding Services and Records Department, she spent the next two hours learning about the general structure of the Muggle Liaison Office and its importance in keeping the Statute of Secrecy in place.

"Most, if not all wizards would be shocked to find out that not only are we tasked with working conjunctly with the Obliviator Squad but also the Improper Use of Magic Office, the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol Squad and the Auror Department. One of our sister departments is the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. They're the ones who handle the cases where a piece of muggle technology or equipment gets improperly enchanted either for nefarious reasons or just plain forgetfulness. For example, say a witch dies and her landlord sells off an enchanted china tea set? The MoMA needs to check that set to see if it's enchanted to keep the tea hot or whatnot. It doesn't always happen that way and most times, the tea set is sold onto the muggle markets where it could cause a host of troubles."

"What happens if it does end up 'out there?'"

"Well, if we get wind of it, an officer is sent out to investigate and if necessary, call in an Obliviator to remove the memory."

Petunia frowned but didn't say anything, it didn't seem fair to the new owner when they would try to balance their books and discovered an unaccounted for purchase and nothing to show for it.

"What about when a child does their first bit of accidental magic? When do the officers get sent out to make first contact?"

The clerk chuckled, "Eager one, aren't you? There is no first contact made until a couple of weeks before the child's eleventh birthday. The only time we'd be called in is if the accidental magic is in danger of attracting the attention of their government."

Petunia frowned again but this time the clerk caught it. "Oh, don't worry dear. It's been done this way since the office was first established. It'll be fine, you'll see."

* * *

That evening at dinner, Petunia was pensively quiet while Lily was in the middle of her running commentary of some of the things she'd seen while on a group trip to the beach with Vernon, Severus and the Marauders. Her description of James trying to figure out how to ride a surfboard had them laughing. Peter had apparently gotten into a losing battle with a crab that had snuck up on him and stolen his sandwich. Harry joked that the way she just described the group of boys sounded like the name of a musical band. That caused Lily to giggle but when she glanced over at her sister, the laughter died.

"Tuni? What's wrong? You haven't said anything for a while."

Petunia scrunched up her nose, "I found out something rather…unsettling, I guess about the Muggle Liaison Office. I had asked what would happen if an enchanted item from a widow or widower's estate happened to find its way into the non-magical world. The answer I got was they would send someone to just obliviate them and take the offending item. My problem with that is when the poor person goes to balance their books, there'll be an unaccounted for purchase with nothing to show for it. Now depending on the individual, that could mean a nasty fight if they have a spouse or someone. The other problem I encountered was when I asked when they made first contact with a new muggleborn child and their family. I was told that there were no procedures for first contact until the child was nearly eleven or if their accidental magic was close to attracting the attention of the non-magical government."

That caused the other three to look pensive and a little upset in the case of their mother.

"You're right, Tuni," Harry began, "It's not fair and rather rude of the office. What would you do if you had the chance?"

Petunia snorted, "I'd write up a list of contact rules that would have to be followed. For the enchanted items, if it were _absolutely_ necessary to obliviate, then the person would have to be compensated for the recovered item. For the new families, I'd write a guidebook outlining what it is that's happening to their child and how to deal with it. I'd include contact numbers, programs available for social skills, educational programs available…things like that."

Harry was surprised at how detailed Petunia's concept was, "Well, here's my suggestion. I know that you're brand new to the department and not entirely aware of how things are run but take a couple of notepads and pens so you can write down your observations. When you get enough compiled then start writing your guidebook. If you need any help, your mother and I would be happy to assist you." Marigold nodded in agreement.


	7. Chapter 7

**Tuesday 17 July, 1973**

While Petunia was getting situated in her new intern position, the magical world was starting to strain under the pressure created by the predations of the group known as the Death Eaters and their leader, Lord Voldemort. Violent attacks against light-sided families, half bloods and muggleborns occurred, as did predations against the muggle population. Sometimes the aggressors were friends or family members only afterwards was it discovered that they were Imperioused. Tensions were running high outside and also inside the walls of the Ministry.

* * *

Petunia was on her lunch break in the Ministry cafeteria when she overheard a couple of workers discussing the latest attacks. When one of them called their leader 'Lord What's-His-Face,' the other one flinched. Petunia merely chuckled and shook her head in derision.

"Something funny, girl?"

Petunia looked up to see the two workers glaring at her, "I'm sorry. It's just when you said 'Lord What's-His-Face' I just couldn't help myself."

The second of the two thought for a moment before chuckling as well, "She's got a point there, it _does_ sound funny."

"Seriously though," Petunia started up, "The guy always says his real name whenever he states 'I am Lord Voldemort.'"

The confused looks on the other two's faces prompted Petunia to grab her notebook and a pen. She then wrote out 'I AM LORD VOLDEMORT' then below that she wrote 'TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE.' Then she drew lines connected the appropriate letters. This caused the jaws of both workers to drop open.

"How…how did you know this?" stammered one.

"Well, I scored an Outstanding in my History OWL and I'm also an avid word puzzle fan. It didn't take me long to find this out and when I did I cross-referenced it against known pureblood families with both the Voldemort name and the Riddle name. Came up empty on both…"she trailed off there but one of the workers caught it.

"What else? You looked like you were going to say something there."

"Well, there was a muggle family that used to live in Hangleton up near Cornwall. The family died out some years ago but living nearby was a…family…for lack of better term, the Gaunts. It was such a big scandal when the son of the wealthy landowners, the Riddles ran away and eloped with the daughter of the Gaunts that it made the papers even down here. I did a bit of research one afternoon for my History lesson and discovered the Gaunts died out or moved away roughly about the same time that the Riddles did. It's possible that there were a…joining between the two families that resulted in a baby? It's unlikely because the Riddle family were well-to-do while the Gaunts gave a new description to 'squalid poor.'"

"Still…the possibility remains that their so-called pureblood leader is nothing more than a half-blood bastard? Can you imagine the looks on those pureblood family Heads if they were to find _that_ out?" One of them grinned but the other one looked worried.

"It's your funeral if they find out you were spreading the news. I'm not going to say anything."

Petunia commented, "Well, if I were to report this, it'd be done anonymously and I'd also send a note to the Chief Unspeakable. It's their job to handle the protection of the magical world. They're the ones tasked with the jobs that fall outside the purview of the DMLE."

The two workers nodded and left. Petunia cleaned up her mess and headed back to the MLO.

* * *

Just as she was about to leave the MLO, a grey robed-wearing person known as an Unspeakable confronted Petunia. From head to toe, nothing was visible that gave a clue as to the gender of the wearer.

"Petunia Evans?"

"Y-yes, um…"

"Unspeakable is fine. I'd like to discuss with you on your views and revelations of the one known as Lord Voldemort and how it is that you came by this information."

Shrugging, Petunia responded with an okay and asked if the Unspeakable would like to have a seat. After getting comfortable, she pulled out her notebook that she'd written the exposé about the name Voldemort and Riddle and showed it to the Unspeakable. Then she ran through the same explanation she gave the other two people earlier.

After a moment the Unspeakable looked up at her, "How did you discover this and does anyone else know about it?"

With a sigh of resignation Petunia glared briefly at the person before her, "You're going to obliviate me, aren't you?"

The Unspeakable tilted their head, "Why would I?"

"The only reason I can think of why you'd ask the previous question is if you wanted the information kept secret. I can only guess that you either work for Voldemort or your department agrees with his message of violence against the so-called 'lesser classes.'"

The Unspeakable chuckled briefly, "It's such a shame that you didn't try to intern with our department first. You'd have fit in well there with your deductive logic. To answer your questions, no I will not be obliviating you and no, my department does _not_ agree with his message. I was the one tasked with finding out more about their leader and hit a block on available information. With what you've found out, I can now continue. Like you'd discovered, there are no wizarding families with the last name of Voldemort nor are there one with the name of Riddle. But now armed with his real name, I can search through the Ministry records to see if it comes up anywhere else."

Petunia leaned back in her chair as she pondered what was explained, "Well, if you're open to more suggestions, I'd start with the Wizarding Examination Authority to see if this Riddle person was educated at Hogwarts, overseas or home-schooled. Next, if he _were_ educated at Hogwarts, I'd find out who his Head of House was and 'interview' them to find out what Riddle was like as a student. Next, I'd find out from the other students within said House to find out general character and hidden talents that would've remained out of sight of the teachers and staff. After all, we tend to share things amongst our fellow students that we would never dare share with the teachers."

The Unspeakable began writing down their own notes as Petunia was speaking, "What else would you do?"

"Once you figure out when he graduated, again if it was from Hogwarts, check local businesses to see if he had a job right after school. Depending on where he worked should give you some idea as to what his level of interaction with the wider world was like. If he was one way in school, his more sociopathic thinking may have laid hidden until he was free of the structured environment of school."

The Unspeakable paused as soon as Petunia finished her explanation, "Are you sure you're only fifteen? You sound a lot older."

Petunia just grinned in response.

"Now, how would you deal with the general population and his followers if you were to release the information of his name and history?"

Petunia shook her head, "Any information in the papers about his history would be disregarded as Ministry propaganda. All I would do would be to print the first two items I shared regarding his supposed name and his real name. Then I'd ask the question, 'Who do you believe?' Any pureblood worth their family upbringing would immediately check to see if there really was a family known as either. When they inevitably come up empty, it's going to circulate in their minds and start sowing the seeds of doubt. Unless his followers are true sheep or just plain crazy, he's going to lose people."

With that, the Unspeakable thanked her for her time and knowledge before departing.

* * *

_My Dearest, Darling, Queen of the Universe Petunia,_

_I, Sirius Orion Black, do hereby swear and pronounce you to be the most cunning and sneaky of all the people I've ever met. Your suggestion on describing the so-called 'Evil Plan to Infiltrate the Gryffindors and Light-Sided Families' has been received by my parents to great acclaim! They were SO stunned that they couldn't speak for nearly five minutes. Ha!_

_If you didn't know, my mother sent me a Howler back after the start of my first year proclaiming me to be a disgrace to the name of Black, the pureblood ideals, etc. Well, after your suggestion, I informed her that it was all part of a master plan to infiltrate Gryffindor. When demanded to elaborate I asked her how sneaky and cunning could it have been to get sorted into the House where those kinds of actions were expected as opposed to another House where I could lay in wait, offering a kind word here, an introduction there and before anyone realized it, I would have the intelligence network of the ages?_

_Now my mother and father are practically strutting in pride at my hidden Slytherin cunning and tripping over themselves to apologize for their rude behavior. Even the other members of my demented family are wowed by the plan and treating me nicely. It's almost frightening on the change of attitude!_

_For another change in attitude, I suggested that they accompany me back to that muggle department store we all went to a couple of weeks ago. When I first suggested it, mother started to sneer again and loudly wondered what kind of filth the muggles could_ possibly _offer for sale. One look in and I thought my mother was going to have a heart attack! Both had to find a seat quickly otherwise they'd both would've fallen over. We spent nearly the entire day there browsing through the floors. (Just for kicks I got them signed up for their mail order catalog and advertising flyers.)_

_So in conclusion, should you ever need help in getting the 'right' kind of political help from the Dark side, let me know! Again, Ha! By the way, are you going to James' party this weekend?_

_Love eternally before your wisdom,_

_Sirius_

* * *

Petunia showed Lily the letter from Sirius and was giggling at the response from her younger sister. Lily's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open at the hilarity of the infamous Black family laid low by the cunning of a muggleborn girl!

"Wow, Tuni! This…this…I have nothing that could describe the level of sheer 'evilness' you've concocted here. First with Severus and now the Black family? Wow…"

"I know, right? I just may take Sirius up on his offer to get help from his family to push through some ideas I have for the muggleborn first contact plans I'm working on."

"Like what?"

"Well, I could push to show that it would be beneficial if there were an Introduction to the Wizarding Culture/Customs class for first year students. They already have a class on Muggle Studies, why not the magical side? I'm sure there would be plenty of students who'd take the class so as to not make so many faux pas or insults. I have a suspicion that most of the tensions that have arisen over the years is because of two entirely different cultures trying to co-exist in the same space without having any clue as how to interact."

"Like moving to another country and not being able to speak the language?"

Petunia nodded, "Exactly! Now if there were such a class available to not only the first year students but also their parents, things I think would go a lot smoother."

"How's your guidebook coming along?"

Petunia shrugged, "I'm still gathering my notes and observations. The economic stuff is pretty straight forward so there's no trouble there. The most difficult part is the customs and rules governing behavior. I don't know where to go for reading material, if there is any."

"Well, you do have access to two pureblood families from both sides of the political spectrum."

Petunia cocked her finger at her sister, "You're right, I do. Help me write a letter to both?" Lily nodded as she reached for some paper.

* * *

**Thursday 26 July 1973**

Petunia and Vernon were out enjoying the summer day when they heard a shout of surprise and the wail of a young child. As they hurried around the corner, they came across a young family with a child who was crying for her stuffed toy. All of a sudden, the toy jumped out of the mother's hand and into the child's arms. Standing there in shock that quickly turned to fear when Petunia and Vernon were spotted, the parents started backing up.

"Wait! There's nothing to be afraid of here," Petunia called out soothingly.

"Um…what is it that happened then? Who are you?" the father nervously replied.

Petunia approached and explained clearly that what they just experienced was what was known as 'accidental magic' and there was nothing evil about it nor was their child possessed by the devil or some such thing.

"How do you know all of this?" the mother querulously asked.

Petunia smiled, "Because I am a witch just like your daughter and no, that's not a bad word. How long has she been able to do stuff like the retrieval of her toy?"

The parents began to calm down as they chatted about the strange occurrences of their child's newfound ability. Lights switching on after a nightmare, keys disappearing when one of them had to go out for a while or to work, food disappearing from her plate.

All through their explanations, Petunia nodded sympathetically, "It's going to be a challenging reality now. Ordinarily, the Ministry in charge of detecting magical occurrences wouldn't even contact you until she nearly reached her eleventh birthday or if the non-magical government got wind of it."

The father shook his head in derision while the mother looked saddened by it all, "Is there anything you could do to help?"

Petunia looked a bit chagrinned, "I'm only an intern right now for the department that would oversee her integration into the magical world but I can show you how to locate their offices and give you a number to call if there are any more public displays of magic."

The mother smiled at that, "Any little bit would help, I'm sure."

Petunia pulled out a scrap of paper and wrote down the MLO's front desk number and handed it over. She and Vernon then showed the parents where the visitor's entrance to the Ministry for Magic was and how to operate the phone box. The parents chuckled at the sight of the phone box and commented how it ought to be repainted blue. Vernon caught on almost immediately and waggled his eyebrows at Petunia who caught on a moment later and laughed as well.

The group squeezed into the phone box and descended into the Atrium of the Ministry. The parents gazed around in surprise and shock at how well organized everything seemed to be even though it appeared to be as busy as King's Cross. Petunia and Vernon led the family to the MLO and explained to the desk clerk what had happened and for the new inductee paperwork to be provided.

Once all the paperwork was completed and the family left, armed now with several pamphlets of information, Petunia was pulled aside by her supervisor.

"Don't worry, Petunia. You're not in trouble. I'm actually quite pleased and proud of you and what you've done here."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"I heard rumors that you're planning on writing a guidebook for the new muggleborn families, is that true?"

"Yes, ma'am. I've gotten the economic stuff pretty much organized; I'm just having trouble finding the most recent editions of wizarding etiquette and customs."

Her supervisor nodded, "I'll hunt around within my own family and see if they have any books you can borrow. I now understand what it was you were referring to on your first day."

* * *

August rolled around and Petunia was days were busy and yet exciting. She had written to both James and Sirius and had gotten them to let her borrow copies of the etiquette and customs books for her own works. Sirius had even complimented her on surprising his parents that there was a muggleborn that was trying to smooth over the problems that had been cropping up with the non-magically raised.

"I explained it like you did to me and within moments had both of them practically shoving books into my arms. My mother even wants to meet with you which is shocking most of all. She still views anyone from a lower class of society as dirt beneath her shoes but your project has gotten her attention and curiosity," Sirius had commented.

In the wider scope of the magical world, things were beginning to become difficult for the one known as Lord Voldemort. The Unspeakables had printed their findings on his heritage and known background to the shock and dismay of many purebloods that believed in his message and banner. Many pureblooded families were leaving his side and moving more towards the middle of the discussion.

* * *

When it was found out that there was a young intern in the Muggle Liaison Office who was trying to compile information into creating a guidebook to ease the integration of the new muggleborns, the owls started to flock in with questions and offers to help.

"I'm worried that this attention to your work is going to paint a target on our backs, Petunia," her mother worriedly commented one evening, "I'm starting to wonder if perhaps you should pull back a bit?"

Petunia put down her pencil and sighed, "Change is always difficult in the beginning, mum. I know it sounds dangerous now but I'm hoping that enough influential people will be swayed by the idea that education is the way to go with the blending of our two worlds. It was ignorance and fear that separated us three centuries ago and I hope it won't be the case here."

Her mother sighed, "As long as you're careful, Tuni. I don't want to see anything happen to you."

Petunia shyly smiled at her mother, "Anything I do write will be checked by my supervisor first before it gets published."

Marigold hugged her daughter in relief.

* * *

Lily eventually went back to Hogwarts on the first of September while Petunia continued with her non-magical school and her internship at the Ministry. As she was walking up to the visitor's entrance, she caught up with one of the other interns.

"Hey, Maisie! How are things going in your department?"

Maisie Kessler grinned back at Petunia, "Not as exciting as your department apparently. You've got the whole Ministry in an uproar over that guidebook of yours."

Petunia waved her hand dismissively, "Oh it was nothing. Nothing that hasn't been needed in a long time. Seriously, how are things in Sports and Games? Anything big coming up?"

"Well, there's always the Quidditch matches. The big one coming up is the match between Puddlemere and Tutshill. If you're interested, I can get you a couple of tickets."

Petunia nodded and said that it would be a great idea, "I can introduce my boyfriend to the sport. He's into rugby and pretty good at it. I can just picture his face if I were to describe Quidditch as aerial rugby."

"Rugby? What's that?"

"Think Quidditch but played on the ground, only one ball, one goal per side and no brooms."

Maisie scrunched her face up as she tried to picture it but shook her head, "Can't picture that. Is it a magical sport?"

"Muggle."

"Ah! That's probably why I don't recognize it. Where do they usually play this game? It might be interesting to see a match if it's anything like Quidditch."

Petunia thought for a moment before suggesting that she contact her boyfriend and find out when the next game was going to be held.

The two girls reached the lifts, gave their farewells and went their separate ways.

* * *

She contacted Vernon later in the day and got the pertinent information of the next match and even suggested that Vernon accompany her to the next Quidditch match. Her description of Quidditch was the opposite of what was described for rugby. Vernon sounded very intrigued by the idea and was all for it. An idea popped into her head and she giggled.

"How funny would it be if the two worlds joined over the shared passion of sports? Imagine a new Sports and Games department that also featured muggle activities? Ooh, how about imagining the excitement that would be created if the magicals had access to the televised events?"

Vernon laughed, "I think the only word that comes to mind would be 'BOOM!' As in their heads would collectively explode from being able to watch a match without actually having to be there."

Surprisingly enough, at least to Petunia, was the utter lack of hate mail that was sent to her via the Muggle Liaison Office. She secretly wondered if it was because of the doubt that was generated from the exposé that the Unspeakables had put out regarding Riddle's history and real identity. She'd heard from Sirius and Severus that many of the darker families had pulled their support from what they called 'the pretender.' There were still violent attacks perpetrated upon the muggles and light sided families but not to the extent previously. The Aurors were handling what cases there were and every now and then, Petunia was taken along to help with explaining things to the recovering muggleborn families. Interest in the proposed Wizarding Etiquette classes was at an all-time high and was even garnering the attention of the Wizengamot.

* * *

**Saturday 8 September 1973**

The Evans girls were having their now weekly mirror chats and were discussing the recent developments that were popping up in the castle. Lily was commenting that even though the adults from the darker families were becoming interested in the proposed changes, the hotheads within the 'Snake Pit' were anything but.

"Is it anything that the staff can intercede on, Lily?"

"Nothing overt to be sure but the sneers and quiet comments I hear whenever I pass by a group of them. As usual, Dumbledore is not helping and if I didn't know any better would swear he's trying to egg them on."

Petunia shook her head in disgust, "The man is an educator! He shouldn't be acting this way. What about bringing this up with McGonagall? She's pretty fair about meting out discipline."

Lily shrugged, "She does what she can but she can't be everywhere at once."

They were quiet for a moment before Lily smirked, "So how does it feel to have your first bit of political interest in your project?"

Petunia huffed, "It's terrifying to be honest. I never thought that I'd be at the forefront of political anything. I thought my idea would languish and either be slowly introduced or just published as a third-rate book to be barely sold in stores. I'm only 15 years old, for heck's sake!"

Just then Lily looked up and smiled at someone who had entered the girl's dorm. She gestured to the unseen person to come over.

"Alice, I'd like to introduce you to my sister. Petunia? This is Alice Brown my roommate."

Greetings were given from both sides.

"Tuni here was instrumental in the development of these mirrors and is leading the charge to introduce new changes in how the Ministry deals with new muggleborns and their families."

"Lily! You make it sound like I'm some sort of superhero. I'm nothing special, Alice. Really, I swear. I just got in at the right time and place to make a difference. So what's your favorite subject there at Hogwarts?"

The three of them stayed up late chattering on about the various things that interest girls.

* * *

When Halloween finally crept up on them, Petunia looked back on the events of the past few weeks and could only marvel at what had occurred. Vernon had enthusiastically got involved with the Quidditch crowd while simultaneously explaining what rugby was. She had heard from her friend Maisie that there were talks about going to see some of the matches and if there was anything that could be copied in the magical games.

Lily had gone a few dates with both Severus and James much to the shock of the others in Gryffindor especially in light of how James had constantly debased himself trying to impress her to go out with him in previous years. When asked, she would merely smirk and quietly change the subject. Petunia had finally gotten it out of her that she was running a quiet competition between Severus and James as to who could make her the happiest and loved. Petunia's eyebrows practically reached her hairline when she found out and couldn't stop laughing when she found out that it was actually based on a teasing suggestion from Remus to pit the two boys against each other!

On a slightly sad note, Peter had drifted away from the group and was now found hanging around some of the darker students of Slytherin House. It was worrisome to all of the remaining Marauders as well as Lily and Petunia.

"I'm more worried about the map and what it would mean if we couldn't work on it here in our dorm," commented Remus one Saturday afternoon. Lily was sitting next to him while Petunia was attending via the mirror, which was conveniently placed on an easel.

"What about getting him to swear to a magically binding oath not to reveal the existence of said map?" asked James as he fiddled with a hole in his sweatshirt.

"James, stop that. You're just going to make it worse," grumbled Lily.

"If you did go that route, you'd have to make sure the wording was absolutely perfect so he couldn't wriggle out of it because of a loophole," replied Petunia.

"Heh, I could always threaten him with the knowledge that I would expose his darkest secret to the school's population," quipped Sirius which caused Severus' eyebrows to quirk up.

"What would that be?"

"That he's only hanging around the darker families to spy on their secrets and reporting it back to Dumbledore. They'd never trust him again!"

Severus sneered, "They'd be more likely to just kill him than worry about trusting him."

Petunia glanced at her watch, "I got to get going. Vernon and I are going to a Halloween party at one of his friend's house."

Lily perked up, "What are you going as?" The others looked puzzled at her question.

"Vernon and I are going as a witch and wizard. Sort of a matched set, I'm still thinking of having him wear a fake beard. I'll be taking my traveling potion's kit and maybe a staff for him with a glowing ball at the head end."

"Why do you need to wear all that to go to a party?" inquired Sirius.

Petunia asked Lily to explain while she logged off to get ready for that evening.

* * *

The next morning, Petunia mirror called Lily to tell her all about the party and the fun she and Vernon had together.

"It was hilarious, Lily. Halloween has to be the best time of the year to be a magical. Think about it, when else during the year could one of us dress up and act like we normally do, performing magic in the streets and just being accepted as anyone else?"

Lily grinned as she nodded, "I know, right? I explained what it was that you were going to be doing and the general concept of trick or treating that the kids like to do. You should've seen the look on Sirius' and James' faces! They were all set to grab some costumes and go out begging for candy. I had to remind them that they both have a Transfiguration test tomorrow and it wouldn't have been possible to get out of the castle anyways."

"Yeah, it's not like they could floo anywhere."

Christmas holidays were approaching again and Petunia had never been busier nor been having as much fun. The Muggle Liaison Office had been decorated with little bits of streamers and gaudy frosted balls of light that danced around the ceiling and the corners of the room. The popularity of the office had increased though in the grand scheme of things it was still fairly laid back. Petunia's efforts to introduce more modern and proactive methods of introduction and integration of the muggleborns had leveled off, much to the surprise of her boss but not really to her.

"Frankly, I'm surprised that it took this long," she commented one afternoon, "I'm glad that we put up some mail wards to defuse the occasional hate mail from the die-hard dark purebloods but overall, things have been fairly steady."

"How is the guidebook coming?"

Petunia shrugged, "It's tough slogging through some of the archaic rules and regulations especially when it was written in the older languages. I'd love to find a translation spell or charm but I've not found one that works with old English to modern English."

Her boss was surprised, "Have you considered contacting the DoM and the Charms Master at Hogwarts? Maybe they have something or at the very least know where you could find one?"

Petunia cocked her head as she thought about it, "Good idea, I'll send a letter to both. Thanks."

"What about the class on teaching Wizarding Etiquette to the muggleborns and their families?"

Petunia shrugged again, "I handed that off to Charles Potter. I figured I already had enough on my schedule." Her boss agreed, congratulated her again and left.

* * *

When the Evans' picked up Lily from the train platform, they found her practically in tears. Harry immediately went on the defensive.

"What happened, baby? Who hurt you?"

Lily's eyes grew wide and her cheeks puffed up before she just exploded in gales of laughter. She shook her head as she tried to relate the story.

"Hello, Mr. Evans," Remus greeted as he approached the small family.

"Hello, Remus. Perhaps you can tell us why Lily was crying as we approached?"

Remus huffed in annoyance, "She pulled a prank on we boys earlier and can't let it go every time she looks at us." Lily let out another burst of giggles.

This got Harry's attention; he quirked an eyebrow up and glanced over at his youngest daughter, "Oh? And what pray tell, did she do to you all?"

Remus gave one last half-hearted glare at Lily before replying, "Given how it's the holidays, she charmed our clothes to turn red and green. Then as if that wasn't bad enough, the same charm caused our clothes to start playing Christmas songs whenever we moved."

All three Evans girls were laughing outright now; even Harry was hard-pressed to remain stern at his youngest. Finally, he let out a small burp of laughter before shaking his head; wishing Remus a good holiday and trying to herd his girls back to the floo point.


	8. Chapter 8

**Tuesday 5 January 1974**

Petunia was in class, ostensibly listening to her teacher go over the results from an exam they had taken before the start of the winter vacation. Suddenly there was a loud boom of an explosion outside their windows. The glass shattered but didn't fall out, the roof panels fell on top of them and the teacher hollered for everyone to get up against the far wall or shelter under their desks.

Huddled up against the wall, Petunia felt in her pocket for the emergency beacon that she had created and given the other half to her boss. She pulled it out and pressed the proper rune to activate it. A few moments later, a series of pops were heard in the hallway outside.

"PETUNIA EVANS! PETUNIA EVANS, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" came the yell from a rescuer.

Petunia's teacher tried to open the door but found it stuck in the frame. She managed to get their rescuers attention by banging on the door and yelling. To her surprise, the door just vanished from sight as a pair of red robed people came climbing over the rubble outside.

"Petunia Evans?" asked one of them.

Petunia raised her hand and climbed shakily to her feet, "I'm here. We're going to need to get everyone out of here plus get a team of Obliviators as no one here is cleared to know."

One of the Aurors pulled her badge off and pressed her wand to a series of hidden runes before assisting the teacher and the other students out from the rubble of the ruined classroom. Just then a couple of more pops from apparition were heard and a team of more red-robed magicals appeared along with a couple of blue-robed Obliviators pulling up in the rear.

"What's the situation?" asked the team leader.

The first Auror on the scene gave him the report then motioned for Petunia to step forward and give her statement.

"I know that there's nothing but chaos going outside but you need to have someone coordinate with the muggle first responders that they have potentially trapped and injured students up here. Is there anyone who can speak with the emergency crews that understands 'muggle-speak?'"

The team leader thought for a moment before shaking his head, "As of right now, no. It looks like you're going to need to fill that spot."

Petunia took a fortifying breath, coughed from the dust before steadying herself. She then turned and faced the scared group of classmates and her teacher.

"Okay! Listen up! Everyone who is _not_ injured, I want you to pair up with someone who is. I don't give a rat's ass as to who likes whom or anything like that. Pair up and stick together," she turned back to the team leader, "I need you to create a temporary group portkey to take us out to the exercise field in the back of the school. At this point, I don't think anyone is going to care about the Statute given the emergency." The Auror nodded as he grabbed the nearest length of cabling that had fallen from the ceiling.

Once again facing the crowd of the now intensely curious students, "Here's what's going to happen. Once this nice gentleman finishes with prepping our escape, I want everyone to grab hold of the cable and don't let go until I say so. Got it?" Murmurs of agreement were heard.

The cable was held out and everyone in the room took hold. The Auror counted off, "On my count. One…Two…Three. Activate!" There was a blinding rush of magic that vanished Petunia, the Aurors and Obliviators as well as all thirty of her classmates and teacher out of the room.

* * *

They landed in a tangle of limbs and exclamations of shock on the football field in the back of the school. The Aurors secured the scene while the Obliviators got to work altering the students' and the teacher's memories. Petunia stood off to the side as to not get mistaken for an ordinary muggle.

When all was done, her classmates and teacher were herded off to the assembly point in the lunch hall while Petunia was guided to where the muggle first responders were already at work. She quietly pointed out one of the armbands that the muggle authorities were wearing and asked one of the Aurors to conjure one up for her.

"Can't you do it?"

Petunia shook her head and pointed to herself, "Hedge-witch. Not powerful enough."

A swish of a wand and a scrap of fabric later, Petunia pushed her way up to the leaders of the responding emergency crew.

She was barely acknowledged but one did order her to go back with the rest of the school. Pointing at her conjured armband, she informed him that she was the Ministry's point person to coordinate with the different departments. With a quiet sigh of relief, she was not only believed but also shown where the command station was. As she passed by the medical tent that was being setup, Petunia noticed that some of the injured had wounds that didn't appear to be healing all that well.

"What happened to them?" she asked one of the nurses who was hurrying by.

Taking a quick glance at the armband Petunia was wearing, the nurse shook her head, "No one knows. It appears to be some sort of new weapon or chemical attack but no one is sure. Excuse me."

* * *

Petunia got settled at the radio bank located next to the command tent. She called over one of the Aurors who was just standing around and directed him to gather the others for their instructions. Giving her a momentary curious glance, he did as instructed. A couple of minutes later, they were all assembled. Petunia stepped up on a stool and addressed the group.

"Listen up, you all are going to be pressed into search and rescue service for however long it takes to get everyone to safety. I don't care if you think that this isn't the job for the magical police, this is a humanitarian effort. Safety and caring before politics, people. If you have to use magic, do so but do it quickly and hand anyone you find over to the Obliviators. Obliviators, you will be teamed up with one Auror as they scout around. Simple memory adjustments are all that are needed. Anyone you find is probably going to be scared out of their wits and most likely not going to remember any details anyways. Oh yeah, transfigure those robes into trenchcoats."

With that bit of encouragement, she contacted the search party team leader via the radio and told him that a new group had just arrived and to look for a group wearing red and blue trenchcoats.

* * *

Next on her mental list was to get on a phone and contact the MLO so they could send a team of Healers out from Saint Mungo's. Her boss was reached and when she told him what was needed, he replied that it would never happen because the medicals would never approve of going in to heal muggles.

"I don't care, boss! Get whoever is in charge over there and demand a team. If they continue to squawk, ask them this: 'What's more important? Healing or politics?' Shame them if you have to but get some Healers that are trained in emergency trauma and curse wounds."

A team of Healers did arrive about a half hour later and were directed to coordinate with Petunia; who by this point had gotten her area under control and was coordinating the remaining Auror/Obliviator squads in searching the ruined school and surrounding buildings and to keep an eye out for remaining hostiles.

"Petunia Evans?" She looked up at the sound of her name.

"Yes? Healers, I take it? Good of you to come. This way to the medical tent."

She led them over to where the injured were resting, or at least trying to rest. A couple of nurses and doctors were hovering nearby discussing the cases. She got their attention and introduced the Healers.

"Now keep an open mind that some of their practices are a bit…old-fashioned but they are fully trained to dealing with unusual wounds and injuries."

The Healers got set up and began examining the injured muggles, noting when and where suspected magical spells were used. The muggle doctors and nurses stood back in curiosity but within observation range and answered questions as they arose.

* * *

It took the better part of three days for the immediate alarm to be lifted and another week before the street was cleared for traffic. During all this, Petunia remained at her station no matter how much her parents pleaded for her to come home and leave it to the adults.

Her response was terse, "Mum, dad, no. I can't because I'm the only one who can speak to the non-magicals without looking like some kind of loon. On top of that, I need to be here to coordinate with my department as well as all the other involved departments. This is my job! This is the whole point of the Muggle Liaison Office in times of crisis.

"But you're only fifteen! You need to come home where you'll be safe," her mum wailed.

"Mum, please. It's not like the last world war where bombs were raining down constantly. Besides, it's my civic duty to do what's needed. This is what I've been training and working for. I'll be home soon, I promise. Things are pretty much wrapped up anyways."

Things did get wrapped up soon. Once the injured were taken away to the hospitals and the buildings were cleared and inspected, the magical emergency responders were thanked and applauded for their efforts.

When Petunia finally got a chance to go into the MLO, she was accosted by her boss and fellow coworkers as they surrounded and congratulated her on an excellent job. She wearily smiled and thanked everyone for his or her support.

"Thank you, everyone. I appreciate your compliments and support. Now comes the 'fun' part. I have to fill out a ton of reports and forms to make sure all the departments and Saint Mungo's is properly recompensed for their efforts and equipment used." Her coworkers laughed and jeered good-naturally.

An hour later and still slogging through the paperwork, Petunia's immediate boss joined her at her desk.

"How are you holding up?"

Biting on her lower lip, Petunia sighed briefly, "Not too bad. I'm having a few nightmares but it's nothing I can't handle. Any word as to who caused the attack?"

Her boss shook his head, "Not at this time but I wouldn't rule out Death Eaters especially with those magical wounds on some of the injured. Are you sure you're doing fine? Do you need to see a Mind Healer?"

Petunia stopped writing and leaned back in her chair while scrubbing her scalp with her fingers, "It'd probably be a good idea and I just may take up the offer. My mum and dad are always there to help out and listen but it's not on a professional level. My dad was really furious with me the first couple of days at home. He was even thinking of grounding me from coming in to write my reports and to check in. I managed to convince him that doing so would make it difficult for me to get a job later in life if I ran and hid every time something scary popped up."

"I'm surprised that your parents didn't forbid you from going anywhere near the magical side. Wouldn't they want you to get a nice, safe job doing something muggle?"

"It was tossed around for a while but I reminded them that there would've been potential danger no matter where I went as long as those Death Eaters or whoever else it was that set off the explosion existed."

* * *

When Petunia got home, Lily was talking with their parents via the mirror about the events of the past two weeks. When Petunia got within visual range, she was dragged into the discussion and reassured her younger sister that she was fine and getting professional help to deal with the mental aftermath.

Harry looked surprised, "How are you paying for this professional help? Who's it with?"

"Dad, it's all part of the normal expenses with all emergency responders and is being done at Saint Mungo's." Harry nodded in acquiescence.

"Tuni? Any word there as to who started the whole thing?"

Petunia shook her head no, "I really don't care, either. It's outside my department so I'm just happy to put it behind me."

* * *

Vernon was another that needed reassurance that Petunia was alright. The two were fortunate that Vernon had called in sick that day so he was nowhere near the school. They talked on the phone for a couple of hours before she suggested they get together for the day that coming weekend.

"What did you have in mind to do?" he suggested in a breathy sort of way that got Petunia's heart to flutter.

Even though he couldn't see her through the phone, Petunia was grinning, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe go up to Hogsmeade to this romantic little teashop I've heard so much about? Stroll along the Thames or just hang out here? Tell you what, why don't you surprise me?" she replied coyly.

* * *

**Saturday 16 February 1974**

While they couldn't do anything on Valentine's Day because it fell on a Thursday, Vernon picked up Petunia and the two of them took the floo to Hogsmeade where they spent the day browsing through the quaint magical village. By coincidence, Lily and Remus appeared just as they were looking through the newest selection of sweets in Honeyduke's.

"Petunia, Vernon, hi! What are you doing here?"

"Celebrating Valentine's Day now since it fell on a Thursday," Vernon explained, "Plus, Pet here needed to get away from London because of what happened there back in January."

Petunia glared at him briefly, "Vernon. I'm fine about that." She then turned back to Remus, "So how did you end up stuck with Lily today?"

Remus smirked while Lily looked sheepish, "I won a bet that she couldn't go an entire day without gossiping."

Lily hung her head in supposed shame while Petunia and Vernon laughed.

"What was it that she usually gossips about in school?" Petunia asked Remus.

"Anything and everything, there is no topic that's off-limits to this girl."

Petunia's eyes were dancing in amusement, "Really, Lily? Have you told Remus here about the time when you were six?" Lily's eyes widened dramatically.

"No! Don't say anything about that!"

Remus laughed, "Far be it from me to not want to hear this but it would only set her off again and we have other stops to make before we need to get back to the castle."

After giving their mutual farewells as well as a mildly annoyed growl from Lily to Petunia, the two couples split off.

* * *

Later, when the two of them stopped at The Three Broomsticks for lunch, Vernon commented again on how calming and lovely this little village was.

"If I had been told, before we met, that I would be getting to spend a wonderful quasi-Valentine's Day with a beautiful girl in a magical village, I'd have said the person needed mental help. I still can't believe that all this exists and how…normal they all seem. It's refreshing really."

Petunia smiled, "I know, right? I can't picture my life any other way. What really makes me stop and think is if I hadn't met the wife of the owner of the bookstore in Diagon Alley the summer of 71, I might have turned into a jealous shrew that hated the existence of magic and its members along with my sister."

"So what are your plans going forward?"

Petunia shyly glanced down at her drink before looking back up at him, "Well, I'd like to get married someday, have a couple of kids and be the Head of the Muggle Liaison Office where I can continue to make a difference in a young muggleborn family's life. I was also thinking of becoming a primary school teacher as a fall back option. Most definitely, I want to get that guidebook published and distributed."

Vernon smiled affectionately and encouragingly at her, "How much farther do you have to go on it?"

Petunia sighed, "I finally got the old English etiquette language translated and transcribed. That was a pain in the butt let me tell you! I need to go around London and some neighboring towns to get a bunch of touristy type of photographs of famous locations and miscellaneous details. The rest of it is actually complete, just some final editing needed."

* * *

By the time that the month of April and the end of the spring term rolled around, things had become…interesting in the magical world. One, the Introduction to Wizarding Etiquette and Customs class had been test run at Hogwarts to great acclaim by the students. Tensions had actually dropped by nearly two-thirds once the muggleborns finally understood what it was they were doing or saying that was ruffling the feathers of the purebloods. That in turn caused a significant drop in the number of detentions assigned for fighting or unauthorized duels. Conversely, the Muggle Studies class had been revamped and brought up to date then it became mandatory for the magically raised to take. Updated topics in the Muggle Studies had included mass communications, the modern methods of travel including flight, space travel was touched on and promised to be elaborated as part of their Astronomy classes.

Modern muggle medical treatments were discussed, modern shopping and commerce and the like were covered. Also included were modern styles of muggle social etiquette that had many a pureblood having an 'Aha!' moment similar to those that were had in the Wizarding Studies class.

Outside of Hogwarts, the Death Eater problem had dropped by nearly seventy percent as those who had followed Voldemort's message of hate and intolerance towards the lower classes left him in shame and derision; even the half-breeds and other Dark creatures wanted nothing to do with him. The Department of Mysteries kept up their attacks on his heritage and reality behind his plan for power along with quotes from well-to-do family Heads. The Unspeakables had also cracked the code on how Voldemort had become so powerful so fast as well as his bid for immortality. Soon all that was left of Voldemort's Death Eaters were the inner circle of rabid followers and a few hangers-on that had nowhere else to go.

* * *

**Wednesday 8 May 1974**

It was evening and dinner had just been completed when Petunia's communication mirror started buzzing. It was expected to be Lily since she promised to call after their normal dinnertime. Marigold answered the mirror and smiled happily when her youngest daughter's face appeared.

"Hi, honey. How's everything going?"

"Pretty good. I got a test coming up on Friday for DADA. Listen, I was wondering and hoping that I could bring a friend home with me for a couple of weeks this summer?"

Marigold shrugged, "I have no problem with this. Let me go get your father and see what he says." She headed towards the living room and spoke with her husband. Both returned a few moments later.

Harry turned to Lily's image, "I have no problem with your idea. Is this person a boy or girl?"

"Boy. It's Remus. I think you met him?"

"Ah, yes. The quiet one on the train platform. Sure, I don't have a problem."

"Thanks, Daddy!"

"Was there anything else you needed from me? The news is coming on in a few minutes."

Lily thought for a moment before saying no but she did want to speak with her mum.

After Harry left, Marigold and Lily started planning for the upcoming holidays.

"So Lily, what's the real reason you're asking if Remus could come home with you? Problems with his family?" Lily nodded sadly.

"Yeah, his father is having a tough time dealing with Remus' condition on top of his wife being sick too."

"What sort of condition does he have?"

Lily looked nervous for a moment and glanced around her before whispering, "Lycanthropy."

"What's that?"

"He's a werewolf. Every full moon he changes into a wolf. He's got a place here to change and be safe in but with the summer months, it's not that easy."

"Werewolf…as in the stories of a ravenous beast hungry for human flesh?" Marigold said incredulously.

Lily silently nodded.

Marigold's eyes twinkled and a small smirk appeared on her face, "How is that any different than we girls during that 'special time?'"

Lily's face split into a wide grin, "That's what Petunia wrote in a letter to him when they first got acquainted! She said that he had the best of both worlds because he'd be able to translate the silly things we girls do during that time of the month and also be able to share tips and tricks on how to deal with the aftermath of the physical changes! Ha!"

"So is there anything we need to do to prepare for his visit? Will there be a full moon then?"

Lily shook her head, "Nah, we already checked and the full moon will occur on the fourth of both June and July. The biggest thing I can think of is for no one to make a big stink about it or tease him about it too much, especially the days right before and right after as he's very sensitive about it."

Marigold grinned again, "So just like you then?"

"Mu-uum!" Lily whined good-naturedly before huffing and crossing her arms over her chest.

Marigold laughed, "Fine, I'll stop. Anything else happen up there?"

Lily got a sly look on her face, "Well, I've been working on doing something really special that not many others here have even thought to attempt," then she waved her hand in the direction of the boys' dorms, "the boys have also completed their special map of the castle or gotten _really_ close to finishing it. I know they've been having a few problems keeping it quiet because of Peter living in the same dorm."

Marigold's eyebrows scrunched up as she tried to remember who Peter was. Lily came to her rescue, "Peter was a friend in the beginning but ever since Severus became closer during the Prank War of 1972, he started drifting off on his own. No one really knows why but it's the boys' problem."

"It happens, dear. People change and follow their own paths."

* * *

**Friday 21 June 1974**

Once again, the Evans family met their youngest member at the platform of 9 ¾ in the magical side of King's Cross Station. This time, they would have two more guests heading home with them. Severus was going to floo to their home with them before going home from there, as his own home didn't have access to the network. Remus was going to be spending the next two weeks with them before catching the Knight Bus home.

When they all stepped out of the floo, Lily dropped her stuff off to the side and declared in a loud and happy voice, "I'M HOME! HELLO ELECTRIC LIGHTING! HELLO AUTOMATIC AIR CONDITIONING!"

Petunia could only laugh at her sister's antics, "Oh, how I've missed you Lily."

"This is why I envy you, big sister. You have all the modern conveniences all the time. It's just another failing of the magical world. Speaking of which, when are you going to do something about it? All the muckety-mucks seem to listen to you."

Petunia just shook her head exasperatedly as she smirked at her little sister while Remus looked on bemused, "Lily, go show Remus where he'll be sleeping."

"So…my room then."

"WHAT?"

Lily chuckled while Remus blushed bright red, "I'm only joking, Daddy."

* * *

That evening, the Evans and Remus were having a nice spaghetti dinner with all the trimmings. Lily was rhapsodizing about how she missed the modern foods like spaghetti and pizza.

"I've tried to teach the elves how to cook Italian foods but they don't seem to want to try anything new. All the recipes used are the same as they were from the Founder's era. It gets boring after a while. So much heavy and rich food, it can't be good for us."

Remus spoke up then, "Actually, it's been proven in a paper that the high caloric intake that our meals provide help us regulate our magical cores. This is because the core depletes our metabolic reservoirs faster than normal. It's like the Olympic athletes eating huge portions during training."

Lily pursed her lips as she contemplated this, "Oh. I didn't know that. Still, I would love to have pizza on occasion there or a nice curry every once in a while."

"Me too, I'd love to have some barbequed ribs once in a while," he replied.

Petunia put her fork down and wiped her mouth before turning to her sister, "So what's the big news you alluded to mum a while back?" Lily's face bloomed red.

"Well, I checked the school regulations then I took a page out of your book, Tuni. You're looking at the proud fourth year Gryffindor who sat three OWLs early!"

There were congratulations all around from the other three Evans'.

"Which classes did you take the test early for?"

"Muggle Studies, History and Astronomy. I figured that those would've been the most annoying to get out of the way because History is a pain to stay awake for, Astronomy has to be done _really_ late at night and you've already proven that Muggle Studies doesn't even need to be attended to by the muggleborns."

"Did you get your results yet, sweetie?" asked Marigold.

Lily shook her head, "No, I should be getting them within a month; probably by owl."

Harry looked over at Remus, "What about you, Remus? Did you take any OWLs early?"

Remus nodded, "Yes, sir. I took the same three as Lily plus the one for Care of Magical Creatures."

"Congratulations and good luck on your scores. I am curious though, assuming you pass these tests, does that mean that you don't have to attend your fifth year?"

"It just means that we don't have to attend that particular fifth year class. We'd still have the others, just not those." Remus explained.

"Any others in your year doing the same thing?" Petunia asked.

"A few," replied Lily, "I know that James took his COMC early and Astronomy, Sirius took Ancient Runes, Severus took his Potions early and there are a few in the other Houses that I spotted when we arrived at the Great Hall on test day. You should see the proud look McGonagall gave all of us when we told her that we were sitting the tests."

Harry turned to his eldest with a proud smile on his face, "Are you proud that you started this trend?" Petunia returned his smile with one of her own.

* * *

Vernon stopped by that Sunday to hang out with Petunia and catch up with the others. Severus swung by later in the afternoon in an effort to stay away from his oft-drunken father. Severus' interest in Vernon increased when both boys discovered their shared talents in chemistry and they quickly set up a spot in the backyard discussing the various similarities between the magical art of potions and modern chemistry.

Remus spent a good chunk of the afternoon hanging around Harry as the older Evans puttered around in his garage working on the family car. Harry discovered that Remus had enhanced hearing and could pinpoint spots where the engine wasn't working at its best. The two talked about Remus' condition and the possibilities of the future working in a career where his abilities would be most beneficial. Remus was initially hesitant to expand upon his condition but it soon became clear that Harry had none of the socially ingrained prejudices that plagued the magical world and quickly opened up.

The Evans girls and their mother spent their afternoon chattering away getting caught up in the goings on of their lives, work and school along with the usual gossip of the neighbors and the world.

When they all met up again, the menfolk got the barbecue started and were following the time honored tradition of staring at the fire, drinking beer (or in the boys' case, soda pop) and watching the meat cook while talking about inconsequential things. The womenfolk got the fixings and side dishes prepared in the meantime.

As they sat down, Vernon had mentioned that he had an idea for everyone to go to the planetarium and science center in London to see the new displays that had been advertised. The others seemed interested so it was planned for. Remus in particular was interested to see what their lunar science was like. Lily made a wolf joke, which had Vernon curious about.

"Thanks, Lily," Remus groused, "Vernon, I have a condition that is based on the lunar calendar."

"That's…oddly specific. What's it called?"

Remus took a deep breath and sighed, "Lycanthropy."

An eyebrow quirked up, "Lycanthropy? As in the wolf-man of legend? Ravenous beast with a taste for human flesh?" Remus nodded then tensed for the usual explosion of revulsion.

"Okay…so when's the next full moon?"

"July fourth."

Silence. Then, "So what's the big deal? You got a little over a month to get to a safe location." Remus' head snapped up, his eyes widening in surprise.

Lily smiled knowingly at him as she patted his arm, "I told you so. Muggles and muggleborns don't have the same superstitious idiocy that the magicals have."

* * *

The rest of the summer passed uneventfully. Petunia and Lily invited James and Sirius over along with Lily's friends to have a pool party as well as show the sights of non-magical London to the magically raised. Petunia got to use the time as a demonstration and to work on a developing a training schedule for any prospective applicant for the MLO. They toured the museums, science centers, movie theaters, the arcades along the beach and other favorite venues of entertainment. Petunia made sure that James and Sirius understood what it was they were learning and why as Sirius was prepared to go into muggle London looking like an Elton John disciple.

They all had fun at the planetarium, especially Remus who finally got to see what the moon looked like with his own eyes instead of the wolf's after a painful transformation. He just stood there transfixed at the lunar landscape for nearly fifteen minutes just soaking up the stark beauty before allowing the others to drag him away.

While they were having lunch out, Petunia turned to Remus with an interesting question, "Remus? I'm curious, when the moon is visible during the day, don't you have the urge to transform?"

The others were now curious as well as they had never thought of that.

Remus shrugged as he thought about it, "I really don't know. I do get a bit of an itchy sensation between my shoulders and the back of my neck but that's pretty much the extent of things. I've never noticed my mood changing or any other symptoms."

James chuckled, "There you go Remus. You now have a NEWT level thesis idea for Care of Magical Creatures." Remus merely grunted in agreement.

* * *

All too soon in the eyes of kids around the globe, the summer ended and school resumed. For Lily and the Marauders, this meant the start of their fifth year and the approaching OWL tests for the subjects they didn't take the prior June. Those results had arrived in mid-July and it was to no one's shock that Lily had passed hers with flying colors. She got an O in Muggle Studies, and an Exceeds Expectations in both History and Astronomy. The Evans' celebrated by going to the beach that day.

For Petunia, she returned to her junior year of high school. She also had a part time, paid job at the MLO on the weekends and the occasional weekday when school wasn't in session. The Evans adults worked as they always had.

In the fight against Voldemort, the fighting had pretty much petered out to just the occasional attack on a supply depot or the home of a wealthy Light-sided family. Even then it wasn't much of a fight since Voldemort's financial supporters had deserted him except for the Malfoys and even then the Head of the family, Abraxas, was seriously considering pulling out his support. The Black family, notoriously known for its involvement with the Dark Arts and the dogma of the pureblood agenda had pulled its support and money stating that it had found a new direction. That the new direction was spearheaded by Petunia, a muggleborn hedge-witch, was easily overlooked.

It was an interesting turn of events in late November that brought the fight to a spectacular closure.

* * *

**Monday 18 November 1974**

Albus Dumbledore; Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederacy of Warlocks sat at his desk trying to figure out his next move against the forces of Tom Riddle aka Lord Voldemort. He had displayed his disapproval of the tactics of the Department of Mysteries when they launched the offensive against Riddle last year with the expose of his history and blood status. _'Information like that should not have been made public! How am I supposed to guide the misguided back to the Light?'_

He now had the added headache when he had received a message from the Head Unspeakable stating that they'd be arriving that morning to inspect the castle's wards and to look for an item that they believed to be hidden somewhere within. He didn't want anyone there, especially from the Ministry as it would disrupt his, er…the students' routine. ' _The castle was his to do as he pleased, dammit! I've worked too long and too hard to just let others muck about without my supervision! My vision of things to come must not be disrupted!'_

The floo chimed just then as the expected incoming call from the Ministry arrived. The covered face of an Unspeakable appeared in the flames.

"Headmaster," intoned a genderless sounding voice, "prepare for our arrival. Two teams of ten each."

"Yes, yes. Come on through," Albus grumbled as he unlocked the security feature of his fireplace.

There was a momentary pause then the fire flared green as one person after another stepped through and into Dumbledore's office. Once they were all assembled, the Unspeakable turned to Albus and declared that the Headmaster must remain within his office and to not interfere with their search.

"This is _my_ school!" Albus thundered, "I will _not_ be spoken to and ordered about like some errant first year!"

"It makes no difference what you want, Headmaster. You will follow instructions or you will be removed until we are finished," the Unspeakable calmly replied. Turning to face the others, "Team One will follow me up to the Seventh Floor while Team Two heads down to the Wardstone. Let's go."

* * *

The two teams split up at the Grand Staircase to the bemusement and curiosity of the students present. When Team One reached the Seventh Floor, they turned and headed towards a certain tapestry of an idiot trying to teach trolls to dance.

Team Two arrived at the locked doors that lead to the Wardstone. After tapping his wand to a specific sequence of runes and applying specialized unlocking charms, they moved into the heart of the school. The room practically pulsed with power and each member of the team felt the hairs on their arms stand on end. They began to examine each and every runic sequence then began discussing their findings.

It took Team Two the better part of six hours during which the school and its inhabitants experienced odd occurrences. The torches along the walls would sometimes die out or flare up, the defenses would suddenly activate or shut down, the elves would get confused as to their location for a few moments before shaking off the feeling and going back to work. For a period of thirty minutes, the castle appeared to be in pristine condition to any passing muggle, if there were any in the area before fading back into its apparent decayed state. Even the Grand Staircase was affected for a brief time as they suddenly stopped swinging about and resorted back to their original starting points.

In the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, there was a loud explosion and the room filled with smoke. Fortunately, no one was inside and when the smoke cleared, everything appeared to be normal to everyone's confusion.

At the end of the day, nearly ten hours later from when the Ministry teams arrived, they joined back up again in one of the empty classrooms and requested the presence of the entire staff to join them for a meeting.

* * *

Albus slunk into the room clearly nursing a sulk and a surly attitude for not being allowed to join in the search of whatever it was that the teams were looking for. He dropped down in one of the better-looking chairs and waited for the meeting to start. Minerva and the others arrived moments later and took their seats quietly.

Once the room was ready, the Unspeakable in charge began.

"Thank you for having patience with our intrusion into the castle but there were some necessities that needed to be dealt with, in some cases they were long overdue. First off, the so-called 'Curse of the DADA Professorship' is now at an end. The explosion some of you may have heard earlier was the connection being broken. You don't need to know how it was done nor do you need to know how it was put together, just that this year's professor may look forward to a long and plentiful career if they so desire it. Next were the castle's defenses and wards. They were in a terrible mishmash of redundancies and inactive protections. Protections such as the Anti-Aggression Ward or the Dark Magic Detection Ward have been reactivated and calibrated."

He paused for a moment as the staff murmured its consent or in the case of Albus, his dissension.

"Team Two also found a Anti-Technology Ward that affected things like muggle electronics and was reported to be causing severe headaches in the muggleborn students. Finally, they detected and removed a power tap that was draining off the castle's energy and feeding it to another destination."

This caused many of the assembled staff to gasp in shock that someone would be so callous as to drain the school's magical energy. Albus paled at the announcement but said nothing.

"Team One entered a hidden storage room located on the Seventh Floor to retrieve an item that was created by the Dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort or as born, Tom Riddle."

Albus jumped up at that point and poignantly requested that information like that should be kept quiet for fear that it might get back to the wrong people. The Unspeakable merely stared at him until Albus sat down.

"Everyone already knows about Riddle's history, Headmaster. That is nothing new. What is new is the discovery in how he'd been able to survive so long despite repeated attempts to kill him. One of these items has been discovered in the aforementioned storage room and since been destroyed. We will be taking the item back with us for study. Are there any questions?"

Before Albus could stick his broken nose in, a hand went up from Professor Flitwick.

"Yes, I have two questions. May we know the name of the item that was discovered and what led to its discovery?"

The Unspeakable shifted in place for a moment, "The item in question is the fabled 'Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw,'" the staff gasped in shock, "One of our other teams discovered that it was hidden in the so-called 'Room of Requirement' during their examination of Riddle's past."

Minerva's hand shot up, narrowly missing clipping Albus on the ear, "Would anyone of you be willing to show us how to access this room and what lays within?"

Team One's leader nodded affirmatively, "I see no reason why not now that the primary mission has been completed."

Albus tried again to be let in on the group to study the item found but was firmly denied.

"You are the Headmaster of the school, Albus. You are not trained to study anything of this nature and if you persist, you _will_ be arrested and charged with interference in a Ministry sanctioned National Secrets operation. Do you understand?" Albus merely grunted and turned away.

* * *

As the meeting broke up, Filius approached the Unspeakable and requested a quiet moment to speak about a topic that had interested him.

"Have you or the other team investigated the rumor of the existence of the Chamber of Secrets?"

The Unspeakable tilted its head in contemplation for a moment before responding, "No we haven't. One moment while I confer with Team Two." Team Two's leader was consulted and he replied that the wards for that chamber had been discovered and its location marked on a map of the school grounds but it wasn't a high enough priority to enter.

When they returned to Filius they informed him of the situation and asked him why he felt the chamber ought to be located.

"There is a ghost that haunts the girls' bathroom on the Second Floor. Her name is Moaning Myrtle and she says she died in 1943. That's the same year that Rubeus Hagrid was accused of murdering her with an Acromantula. I've reexamined the evidence since that time and it was rumored that Hagrid had released the Monster of Slytherin but the problem with that is Acromantulas do not have the capability of petrification and there wasn't a mark on the girl's body."

The other two were nodding in understanding, "You wish to avenge her death and seek justice for Mr. Hagrid?" Filius nodded, "Then we shall revisit this once the problem of Tom Riddle has been dealt with." Filius bowed his acceptance of this.

* * *

Two days later, Tom Marvolo Riddle aka Lord Voldemort was shot dead by an armed muggle security guard of a supply depot outside of Kent. His followers scattered and regrouped only to be met by a large team of Aurors and Hit-wizards. All were either captured or killed.

**The Blood War was over…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be quickly hopping over the next couple of years a bit because I feel the ones leading up to the Marauder's graduation will be quiet ones now.

**September 1975 to December 1975**

James Potter, Severus Snape and Sirius Black successfully became Animagi during the early parts of their fifth year. James was a stag whom they named 'Prongs.' Severus was a black panther named 'Shadow' while Sirius became a large black boarhound named 'Padfoot.' To their surprise, Lily showed up as they were getting ready to run with Remus aka 'Moony' during one of his full-moon transformations. When they objected on the grounds that she couldn't run with them as a human because of the wolf's temperament towards people, she promptly transformed into a red haired fox. She was eventually named 'Vixen' despite her protestations.

Severus began submitting his work in advanced Potioneering to be reviewed and published. His advancements in the properties of pain-relievers for those suffering from Dark Curses eventually led to being offered an apprenticeship with Damocles Belby who was attempting to find a curative for the Lycanthropy problem.

**January 1976 to June 1976**

The pranking perpetrated by the Marauders dropped to nearly nothing during the final ramp-up to their OWL tests. The boys did pull off a few minor episodes just to relieve tensions but didn't target anyone or any house in particular. The "Color Explosion of '76" was a big hit when the boys along with some quiet help from Lily setup a bunch of balloons that would drop at a predetermined time during breakfast. A curious first year tried popping a balloon only to be covered in a bright dusting of purple. This led to others trying and achieving a similar result but in random colors and effects. The only ones who didn't try to join in were the Slytherins though they did get some of the blowback when some idiot tried to dispel the colorful dusting with a _Ventus_ charm.

* * *

**September 1976 to December 1976**

Lily began to emulate Severus and got a few papers published in _Charms Quarterly_ after working with Professor Flitwick. She and James began actively dating each other when James finally stopped with the antics and settled down. She credited this change in behavior to the ongoing good relations between him and Severus. Severus in the meantime, branched out in whom he accompanied to Hogsmeade. By early December he had a steady girlfriend from Ravenclaw that he was frequently seen talking to and working with in Potions class.

**January 1977 to June 1977**

Remus finally came to terms with his parents regarding his medical condition. His mother unfortunately passed away during the month of May and during the next full moon, the wolf howled its anguish to the world. He was fortunate though that the rest of the Marauders were there to commiserate and keep him company. To take his mind off of the funeral arrangements and the general feelings of depression, Remus got a job in the muggle world as an assistant grocery shopkeeper. To his never-ending chagrin, whenever he and the others would get together, Sirius would always twig him about how hilarious it was to have a werewolf working in the meat department.

* * *

**September 1977 to December 1977**

It was the start of the final year for the Marauders at Hogwarts and they were determined to firmly cement their legacy into the annals of the school's history. Pranks were plotted and planned. Various potions, charms and runic arrays were researched and prepared. Petunia had suggested that during all of this planning, one of the team ought to be writing everything down in a journal of some sort. When asked why, she replied that at the end of their education and subsequent graduation wouldn't it be nice to hide the book somewhere amongst the books in the library for another generation of Marauders to find and use as a basis for their own mayhem and chaos?

**January 1978 to August 1978**

During a lovely spring excursion to Hogsmeade, James Charles Potter proposed to Lily Marie Evans. She playfully left him hanging for a few moments as his face got redder and redder from pained embarrassment. She finally relented and accepted to the cheers of the assembled crowd.

Remus had been selected as the secretary to write down and compile all of the Marauders' work over the past seven years. It took the collective effort to hunt down and compare their notes and whatnot but by the middle of August, a nicely bound and signed book called "The Marauders Compendium of Pranks, Pratfalls and General Chaos" was secretly placed within the stacks of the Great Library. The Marauder's Map was altered to lead those who were able to access its secrets and operation to the location of said book.

The map itself was secreted away behind a portrait of themselves that was hung in the back corner of the Gryffindor Common Room.

* * *

**June 1978**

Lily Evans, her boyfriend and fiancé James Potter, Severus Snape and Remus Lupin along with the rest of the Class of 1978 graduated from Hogwarts School Witchcraft and Wizardry. In attendance of this event were Petunia and her newly married husband Vernon Dursley and her parents, Marigold and Harold Evans.

Petunia Dursley nee Evans married Vernon Dursley in a quiet church wedding attended by a small group of friends and family. He immediately started a new job as Sales Representative for Grunnings Drills while she rose to the rank of Deputy Director of the Muggle Liaison Office, the youngest person to hold that title to date. Her guidebook, 'The Muggleborn's Guide to the Magical World' hit shelves in the beginning of the year to wide acclaim and was rapidly rising to the top of the bestseller list. The new First Contact Guidelines she had developed with the help of her coworkers, friends and family were due to become required reading and training material for the Aurors and Obliviator Squads in the next couple of days. Her training seminars for the witch or wizard who wished to interact with the muggle world had a three-month waiting list.

When the ceremony finished and the graduates were congratulated, they dispersed into the crowd of waiting family and friends. Petunia gave her younger sister a warm hug and did the same for the rest of the Marauders.

"So what's on your agenda for the future, Lily?"

"I want to take a year off and just zone out," Lily deadpanned, "Maybe go on a global vacation of random portkeys and destinations."

James laughed and hugged his girlfriend, "That sounds like a wonderful idea though I think we should stop by Potter Manor so you can see where you'll be living once we're married." Lily blushed at that.

Vernon inquired of the others what their plans were. Remus replied that he was planning on getting his Mastery in Defense and perhaps getting his teaching credentials. Sirius hadn't a clue as to what he wanted to do long-term but was planning on doing something similar to what Lily and James had in mind though not for another couple of months.

"Amazing as it sounds, I've been tentatively offered the position of being an Assistant Professor, teaching next year's induction to the Wizarding Studies class," he told the group.

Severus had plans to go onto getting his Mastery in Potions, "I've been talking with Slughorn and he's promised to help me get my Mastery and then introduce me to the Experimental Potions Department within the Ministry as well as a couple of other companies in Europe and the United States. Then of course, there's that internship with Mr. Belby in regards to that new werewolf potion he's been rumored to have been working on."

Marigold turned to James who was snuggling her youngest daughter, "What about you James? What are your plans?"

James shrugged, "Dunno. I'll probably find something. My dad's been starting to discuss the possibility of me taking over some of the less critical family obligations and businesses around the world."

No one mentioned Peter Pettigrew. He had briefly rejoined the Marauders but then vanished from the school in the middle of 1976. No word as to the reason for it but the rumor mill had it that he had fallen in with the remnants of Voldemort's Death Eaters and gotten killed in battle.

* * *

In the intervening years between 1974 and now, the magical world was rapidly healing itself from the aftermath of the Blood War between the Dark wizard Tom Riddle aka Lord Voldemort and his group of magical terrorists, the Death Eaters.

Despite Albus Dumbledore's best efforts to keep things quiet, all the secrets had been brought to light in a post-mortem trial about the man (or demon depending on who you talked to) who rose to power including all of his darkest secrets in his quest for immortality. It had become quite the circus especially when it came to be known that Albus knew what kind of person Tom Riddle was prior to the start of school when the then Deputy Headmaster delivered young Tom's acceptance letter at Wool's Orphanage. Questions were then raised against the Chief Warlock about why he had decided to keep information away from the very department within the Ministry tasked with keeping the magical world safe from Dark threats.

Albus' answer was the usual 'It was for The Greater Good.' Those in charge did not accept this and so a whole new investigation was begun, this time into Albus' past. As of Lily's graduation, the investigation was still ongoing.

The investigation and subsequent trial of Albus Dumbledore lasted nearly two years and resulted in his loss of the positions of Headmaster, Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump. His relationship with Gellert Grindlewald came to light to the shock and horror of many. His belief and implementation of Grindlewald's concept of the Greater Good through the quiet manipulation of the hearts and minds of impressionable children stunned and horrified both sides of the political arena. He was convicted of multiple counts of fraud, embezzlement, and the murder of several heirs of prominent bloodlines as well as multiple uses of the Unforgiveables. This last one was a shock to many when it was revealed that it was his Killing Curse that murdered his Obscurial sister.

As part of his trial and after being found guilty of many crimes against the magical world, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was declared by a panel of seven to be a Dark Lord. After his conviction and sentence of life without the possibility of parole and during the transport to the prison island of Azkaban, Albus Dumbledore slipped his bonds and his jailors and escaped into the wilds.

* * *

**October 1979**

"Hey, Lily! Happy Halloween!" exclaimed Petunia as she greeted her sister and her husband to her new home in Surrey, "Come on in and make yourselves comfortable. Vernon's got the card table set up and I've got some firewhiskey decanted, fruit juices and Butterbeer chilling."

"Hello, Tuni and thank you though I'll have to pass on the alcohol for a while," commented Lily as James went in search of Vernon.

Petunia's eyes widened as she guessed the reason for Lily's abstinence, "Really? It's confirmed?"

Lily grinned and nodded, "We just came from Saint Mungo's. In nine months, the Potter family will have grown by one." Petunia squealed in happiness for her sister then let a small smirk grow on her own face.

"Well then I guess my news will be just as much of a shock. I'm pregnant as well! I found out about a week ago and wanted to keep it a secret for a bit longer but now that you're here, surprise!" Lily squealed as well and dragged Petunia in for another hug.

* * *

**February 1980**

Lily Potter looked up in annoyance from her desk at the sound of an insistent knocking on her door to her office at Hogwarts. She was finishing up her Mastery in Charms with Professor Flitwick and needed some quiet time to study.

"Come in!" she barked.

The door opened to reveal James standing there with a worried look on his face.

"We got a problem, Lily. I was just contacted by an Unspeakable who said that there's a prophecy that was just given possibly regarding our child."

Lily snorted in derision, "A prophecy? Really? Come on James, you know those things are murky at best and only understandable _after_ the fact. What was the wording?"

James looked down at the piece of paper and read, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…"

* * *

**Thursday 31 July 1980**

Harry James Potter was born in the early morning hours after a seven hour-long labor to the celebration of his parents, Lily and James Potter. His godfather, Sirius Black, was waiting outside to spread the news of the impending birth and to keep an eye on Severus and Remus who were practically swooning with nervousness despite their protests to the contrary. In reality, it was Sirius who was about ready to pass out but blaming it on the others gave him something to do in the meantime. Petunia and Vernon arrived not long after they did and settled in to wait. In Petunia's arms was her own infant son, Dudley.

The door burst open and James appeared; all frazzled from suddenly released nerves, "It's a boy! My son is born!"

There were congratulations all around. One by one Sirius, Severus and Remus entered to congratulate Lily and to see the new baby. James stood proudly next to his exhausted wife while grinning goofily the entire time. After the Marauders left, Petunia and Vernon quietly entered. The two sisters swapped babies and examined each.

"Oh, Lily. He's so handsome though not as handsome as mine of course," Petunia sniffed haughtily, which caused Lily to laugh.

"Thanks Petunia. Yours is definitely built like Vernon there. He's going to be a strapping young football hooligan in due time."

Vernon caressed infant Harry's cheek with one finger and smiled as the baby opened his eyes and stared unfocused at the intruder of his dreams, "He's got your eyes, Lily. He's going to have the greenest eyes ever."

* * *

**1 November 1981**

A little over a year passed and still the world watched and waited for the capture of Albus Dumbledore. The prophecy had been released to the Auror Department as well as their friends and family to keep everyone on their toes should they ever spot Albus. It was the analysis of the Department of Mysteries Divination Masters that the prophecy might apply to both Harry James Potter and Neville Francis Longbottom. Both of whom were born in the last two days of July 1980. As a result of that, both families were urged to go into hiding for their safety.

It was early morning and Petunia stepped out onto the porch to retrieve the morning paper and the milk from the stand. The day's planned activities barely percolating through her sleep-addled mind as she bent over to pick up the bottle, she spotted the baby basket with a lumpy blanket in it just inches away.

' _My god, who would leave that here of all places? Must be a magical to do something so stupid,'_ she thought to herself as she unwrapped the bundle within. She screamed and dropped to her knees in her horror and recognition of the infant with a mop of messy black hair, a scar upon his forehead and a chubby hand clutching a letter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Book 2:**

**The Aftermath**

**Sunday 1 November, 1981**

' _Harry? My god, NO!'_ Petunia frantically screamed in her mind. ' _This couldn't be true! Where were Lily and James? Who dropped Harry here and when?'_ These were just some of the questions whirling in her mind as she lifted the toddler from the basket. Despite her handling and her vocalization of her thoughts, Harry didn't wake up. That got her worried as no child could remain asleep unless under a potion or something. As she lifted him, a letter dropped from where it lay between the boy and the basket. She bent down and grabbed everything she could and ran back inside.

Petunia gently placed Harry on the couch then ran into the kitchen where her communication mirror hung on a wall near the phone. Jamming her finger onto the big, red emergency contact button; she impatiently waited for the connection to the others to be made. A trio of very sleepy faces appeared in split sections of the mirror's surface. _'Why didn't Lily's personal mirror connect?'_ came her worried thought.

"Pet-Petunia? What's going on?" yawned a still not quite awake Sirius.

"Everyone wake up and get over to my place now. Harry's here and he's hurt! I have no idea as to where James and Lily are," Petunia barked into the mirror. That got everyone else's attention quickly.

"We'll be right there," declared Remus while Severus and Sirius were seen to be grabbing a robe off-screen.

Petunia closed the connection and turned back to her nephew who was still asleep on the couch. She made careful note of every square inch of his face, looking for any injuries. She easily spotted the weirdly shaped scar on his forehead that in the back of her mind, appeared to be shaped like a rune of some sort. Petunia forced herself to take some calming breaths to slow her frantic heartbeat, _'Now is NOT the time to panic!'_ She grabbed a notepad and pen and began writing down everything she observed about the boy from his heartbeat to the smudges on his forehead. Leaving her sleeping nephew where he was, she hurried over to the cupboard under the stairs where she rummaged around and located the family camera. She checked to see if it was loaded with film and fresh batteries before snapping off as many pictures of Harry. She barely glanced up to the sounds of her husband going about his morning routine and was grateful that her own son, Dudley hadn't woken up yet.

* * *

Three loud cracks of sudden apparition were heard coming from the backyard right before the door was wrenched open as Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape strode in with worried expressions on their faces.

Severus was the first to reach Petunia and asked her what had happened.

"I had just walked out onto the porch to get the morning paper when I spotted a bundle on the step. When I examined it, I discovered Harry asleep in a basket with only a thin blanket, a scar on his forehead and a letter. I grabbed him and everything you see there and brought him back inside then called all of you. Lily's personal mirror never connected and I'm not sure why. I was just about to try and reach Potter Manor when you arrived." Petunia hurriedly explained before heading back in to the kitchen to grab the mirror off the wall.

Sirius and Remus in the meantime were examining Harry for any other injuries other than the one on his forehead.

"I'm detecting something that sort of registers as Dark Magic," commented Remus.

"Same here," agreed Sirius, "I think it's from that scar, though aside from that it appears that Harry is just fine. We'll need to take him to Saint Mungo's though to be sure."

Petunia returned carrying the mirror. She took a deep calming breath and called 'Potter Manor.' There was a brief shimmer as the pair tried to connect. Next thing that Petunia could see was the inside of Potter Manor's kitchen and a couple of the house-elves busily working. Petunia tapped on the mirror to get their attention.

A young, blue-eyed elf's face appeared, "Hello, how can Lucy be helping you?"

"Hello, Lucy. I'm Petunia, Lily's sister. Can you go find my sister and have her come to the mirror? I think they may be in trouble." Petunia barely kept her voice calm through sheer determination.

"Lucy will be right back." The elf replied before popping away. It took a few minutes before Petunia and the others saw the elves suddenly stop working and developed a look of fear on their faces.

Lucy popped back into view, "Lucy is sorry but we elves cannot be finding Master James or Mistress Lily anywhere!" she wailed.

Petunia nearly dropped the mirror as she started to cry but Severus saved it. He turned to the panicking elf and told her to put the manor on lockdown until help arrived and that he, Remus or Sirius would be by as soon as they could.

* * *

Just then Vernon arrived in the middle of the commotion carrying his son in his arms.

"What the heck is going on here? Petunia?"

Petunia jumped at the sound of her name and hurried over to where a surprised Vernon stood at the base of the stairs. Dudley in the meantime was busy gnawing on his chubby fists.

"Oh, Vernon! It's terrible! Harry's here and hurt, James and Lily are missing and…and I…" she trailed off into tears. Vernon shifted Dudley in his arms and took his wife into an embrace while awkwardly patting her on the back.

"Shhhh…easy there Pet. Why don't you go sit down while I get Dudley here his breakfast then we can talk."

After getting Dudley set up in his high chair and giving him a bowl of dry cereal, Vernon returned to the assembled group of adults in the living room. Remus was stroking Harry's hair while Sirius and Severus were quietly discussing what to do next.

Gesturing to Harry, "I'm surprised he hasn't woken up, what with all the noise from everyone."

Remus replied, "There's a sleeping spell that was put on him, supposedly by whoever it was that dropped him off here. We want to leave that in place just in case there are any other injuries that might cause him pain. Plus, the magical signature is something that the Aurors will want to identify."

"How long until they arrive?"

"Severus? Did you call for the Aurors yet?"

Severus looked chagrinned that he had not before turning to the fireplace and making the call. A moment later and an Auror stepped through the floo and into the living room. He was quickly brought up to speed of the events as they had transpired before he asked to see the letter that was still laying on the coffee table unopened.

"Thank you for not touching the letter, ma'am and sirs. It would've disrupted my scans to see if there were any foul magics embedded in it." The Auror scanned the letter but found nothing illicit. Upon opening it up, he scanned the contents but found nothing in the way of compulsions or other mind magics.

"I'm going to make a copy of this. I'll be keeping the copy while I will give you back the original. Was there anything else you wished to tell me that might be pertinent to this case?"

Sirius spoke up about how James and Lily were missing as well and that they had contacted Potter Manor and spoke with the house-elves there. The elves couldn't find their Master or Mistress anywhere and had been instructed to lock down the property until one of them arrived with help.

"Ok, when you're ready we'll head over there and investigate further." Sirius nodded in compliance and stood to retrieve his coat. He gave Harry a gentle kiss on his forehead before escorting the Auror to the backyard where the two disapparated away.

* * *

In the meantime, Petunia had recovered her wits and began making plans to get Harry to Saint Mungo's and to coordinate with any other departments necessary to investigate the events.

"Severus? I'll need you to go with me to Saint Mungo's. Remus? Would you be so kind as to contact James' and Lily's friends and inform them of what's been going on?" Both men nodded their agreements. She turned to Vernon, "Vernon, I'm sorry to rush off like this but I just need you to hold down the fort here and take care of Dudley while I'm gone."

Vernon got a pleased grin on his face, "A day with just me and my boy? Yeahh…I don't think that'll be a problem." Petunia chuckled weakly before giving her son and husband a kiss on their cheeks before hurrying off to get dressed.

When she returned a few minutes later, Remus had already left while Severus was finishing up a cup of water. With an eyebrow quirked up in unvoiced question, Petunia merely nodded and took a fortifying breath before lifting Harry up into her arms. The three then flooed to Saint Mungo's in a rush of green flames.

* * *

**Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies**

The two adults and one sleeping child arrived in a rush of green flames to the waiting and arrival room of Saint Mungo's. They hurried up to the Welcome Witch and asked for the directions to the Casualty Department. The witch on duty asked what was wrong and was told that the infant had been left on Petunia's doorstep sometime early that morning by persons unknown and with a scar on his forehead. Petunia and Severus were quickly directed to the emergency room and they rushed down the hallway.

The Healer on Duty greeted them with a calming demeanor and had them go through the known circumstances once again and also to identify themselves.

"My name is Petunia Dursley and I'm the Deputy Director of the Muggle Liaison Office. This boy is my nephew, Harry Potter. All I know is sometime this morning; Harry was dropped off on my doorstep in a basket with only the clothes he's wearing, a thin blanket and a letter that I _still_ haven't read yet." She held up her camera and notes, "I took multiple photos and wrote down everything I could think of once I got him inside. Now that I think of it, I should've also taken photos of the porch too." She paused to take a breath, "According to Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape here, there is a faint sign of Dark Magics embedded within the scar on his forehead. I-I need to know… I need to know that Harry's going to be okay." She said all that and ended with a bit of hopeful whimper.

The Healer turned to Severus who concurred with what he knew of the morning's events adding only that Petunia had called her sister and husband at their home but were unable to find them and that Aurors were now at the scene.

The Healer nodded as he wrote all of this down on a form and included a copy of Petunia's notes into his report, "Okay, thank you. I'll have the duty nurse send for the film to be developed. I'll have you place the child down here on the examination table. Do you know what the child's previous medical history is like?" He called for a nurse and repeated the instructions regarding the camera and film. She left in a hurry carrying the items in her hands.

* * *

Petunia had slipped into a sort of daze and slid rather heavily into one of the room's chairs after her explanation so it was left to Severus to fill in the Healer to Harry's medical history.

"As far as I know, Harry has had all of the usual shots and potions for a child of his age. No known colds or fevers and developmentally, he's been on par with others of his age."

The Healer pulled out his wand and waved it over Harry. He quickly picked up on the Somnulus charm and canceled it. As he continued his examination, Harry's eyes fluttered open and he gave a slight whimper of fear. That noise grabbed Petunia's attention and she jumped up to maneuver herself so her nephew could see her.

"Hi, Harry. Remember me? I'm your Aunt Petunia," she cooed gently. Recognition took a moment before the cutest smile slid over Harry's face and his eyes lit up. Petunia grinned back and nodded, "Yeah, you do remember me." She tickled the tip of his nose with her finger, which caused him to giggle.

"Mama?" Harry burbled.

Petunia got a sad look briefly on her face before shaking her head.

Harry took on a look of puzzled thought momentarily before asking, "Dada?"

"Mama and Dada are sleeping," Petunia made the noise of loud snoring causing Harry to giggle once more. She turned to the Healer who'd just finished his examination.

"What's the good news?"

The Healer replied, "Well, as far as I can tell, you were correct in assuming there's a trace of Dark Magic and I'm curious as to the nature and shape of the scar. It almost looks like a rune but I can't be sure. Medically, he's fine and in the picture of health so it'd be my recommendation that you can take him home today after we have the onsite cursebreaker take a look at him." Both Severus and Petunia sighed in relief.

* * *

_**At Potter Manor…** _

Sirius and the Auror appeared in the arrival room for Potter Manor with a minimal amount of noise. Lucy, the Potter's Head-Elf was waiting for them.

"Lucy? The Manor is on lockdown?" Sirius inquired of the diminutive being who was twisting the hem of her uniform nervously.

"Yes, Master Sirius. It being just as you ordered it."

"Does the Manor have any sort of central security system other than the elves that I can examine?" The Auror asked as he pulled a quill and notepad out of a pocket.

Sirius looked pensive for a moment, "Yes, it'd be in the basement. I remember James telling me about it. I'm not sure as to its current arrangement though. James and Lily never got around to modernizing the security setup before now."

"Okay, then I'll need to see the Wardstone."

Sirius guided the Auror to where the Wardstone was located. The Auror ran a general diagnostic over the stone and examined several sections that appeared to be burnt out or degraded all the while taking notes. The next stop was the main floo to run a check to see who had traveled last and if there was anything in the security traps.

"Do you know a Peter Pettigrew, Mr. Black?"

Sirius looked surprised at the name, "Pete was here? I mean, yeah I knew him. He was in Gryffindor with James and I. Lost contact with him during that dust-up with Voldemort."

"Hmm…according to the floo's records, Mr. Pettigrew arrived sometime in the past week multiple times; sometimes as short as just a few minutes until the day before last night when he appeared to stay for about an hour."

Sirius gestured widely, "News to me, pal. I never found out what had happened to him after we graduated. I had heard rumors that he'd fallen in with the Death Eaters and was killed during one of the battles. That he survived is not all that surprising, he's good at getting himself in and out of trouble."

The Auror finished taking his notes while Sirius started giving Lucy instructions on what to do now that the Manor had been examined.

"When we've finished in here, I suspect that the grounds will need to be examined. I want you and the other elves to put out word through whatever network you have with each other to keep an eye out for James and Lily, okay?"

"Yes, Master Sirius. Lucy will be doing that," she acknowledged before popping away.

* * *

_**Back at the Dursleys…** _

When Petunia and Severus returned, they found Vernon on the floor playing with his son. All sorts of brightly colored toys were scattered between the two of them as Dudley babbled in a childish sort of way while Vernon made the appropriate noises to the various things that Dudley had pointed at. At the sound of their return, Dudley squealed in happiness and climbed to his feet and unsteadily lumbered towards his mother.

"Mama! Da 'orsie!" he cheerfully yelled.

Petunia smiled indulgently as she ruffled his hair, "That's nice, Dudley. Have you been a good boy?"

Dudley nodded then continued to describe his day using his baby words. Vernon turned and welcomed them back

"How'd it go at the hospital?"

Petunia handed Harry over to Severus while she went into the kitchen to fix up something to eat and drink. Severus sat down while cuddling Harry and replied to Vernon's question.

"According to the Healer, everything appears to be fine other than the cut on his forehead. The onsite cursebreaker detected a faint reading of Dark Magic but can't make heads or tails of it. As far as he's concerned, it appears to be nothing more than a residue and that the scarring ought to be minimal. I can whip up a cream that can help with that."

He shifted Harry in his arms as the toddler became intensely curious about the necklace Severus wore.

"After the hospital, we stopped by the Ministry to let her boss know that she'd be out for a couple of days while the investigation was ongoing."

Harry decided then to squirm and demand to be let down. Severus loosened his grip and helped him down to the floor. Harry then wobbled his way over to where the toys were and began a babbling baby conversation with Dudley over the joys of the color blue and the inherent differences of dinosaurs versus dragons.

* * *

Petunia came back in with a tray of breakfast wraps and a pot of tea then settled in her favorite chair. She pulled the mysterious letter that had been left with Harry that morning and opened it up to read. A pall fell over her face and what color she did have slid towards the greenish variety.

"Pet? Are you okay?" Vernon asked worriedly. Petunia silently handed him the letter.

' _To Whom It May Concern;_

_I'm not sure that you may remember me but my name is Peter Pettigrew. I was in school with your sister and her husband James in Gryffindor. I wanted to let you know that…well, they and their son were the guests for our illustrious and glorious leader, Albus Dumbledore. They will be taking part in a ceremony that requires a bit of sacrifice on their part so that the Great Lord Dumbledore can continue his work for the Greater Good!'_

The letter then rambled on with a load of hogwash about how great, wise and powerful Dumbledore was before finally getting to the reason why Pettigrew had left Harry on their doorstep.

_'While James and Lily have fulfilled their part; their son, Harry caused a bit of a disturbance. I don't know the reason why but there was a magical backlash and it caused the ceremony to fail. I am unable to care for both the boy and our Glorious Leader at the same time so I figured that you'd be better off with the child. With any luck, I will restore my Master to his full health so that he may continue to reshape the world in his image!'_

The letter signed off with Peter's signature. Vernon glanced up at Severus whose face had gone unnaturally still.

"Severus?"

Severus merely held his hand up before standing and starting to pace as he thought about what had been read aloud. Sirius and Remus arrived a moment later and were given the letter to read. They grew pensive as they read through the message; Sirius growling while Remus glared murderously.

* * *

After a moment to collect her wits, Petunia sat up and wondered aloud as to what would happen next. The remaining Marauders sat up with a determined air about them as the planning commenced. It was decided that until James and Lily were found, Harry would be staying with the Dursleys. Sirius looked pensive about this but then nodded his head as reality set in.

"I'm Harry's godfather but I know very little on how to properly care for him. I can easily provide a place for him to live but…well…." He just spread his hands helplessly.

"I think it would be better to keep him here. He obviously recognizes me and is comfortable with my son," Petunia commented as she glanced over at the two toddlers who were now wrestling over a plushie, "Well, sort of at least. Dudley is just about the same age and developmental level as Harry."

Remus sat down next to Harry and reached over to ruffle up his hair to which said boy giggled and squirmed out of the way before reaching for the plushie again, "I too, can assist in raising Harry. One thing I think is important is to not hide him away from the general public. Eventually word is going to get out that Harry was taken by Dumbledore and somehow got away. You know how folks are when rumors get started. I think a gradual introduction will be beneficial to both Harry and the public."

"I got a question regarding all of this," Vernon commented, "why did Dumbledore target them in the first place and what did Harry, James and Lily have to do with it all?"

"Well," Sirius began, "Before they went into hiding, James had told me that the Department of Mysteries had informed him that a prophecy had been given that spoke of a child that would be born that could potentially be the one to rid the world of a Dark Lord. I don't know the specifics of the prophecy but from what James did say was that the child would be born at the end of July."

Severus slowly shook his head as he scoffed, "Prophecies are just a bunch of waffle. No one with any sense should take them seriously."

Remus shrugged, "I don't know about that, Severus. It's obvious that _someone_ does take them seriously; otherwise this whole thing never would've happened." Severus merely grunted in agreement and gestured with his hand in acceptance of the remark.

Vernon turned to his wife, "Is there any way to track this Pettigrew bloke? Don't you magicals have ways of finding hidden people or things?"

Petunia slowly nodded while waggling her hand, "Sort of, kinda. A _Point Me_ spell is the most commonly used but if they're under protective wards, it won't work. We might be able to use an owl tagged with a tracking charm but even then… it depends on the wards around wherever they might be."

They were silent for a while as each thought about what else could be done. The toddlers had eventually abandoned their fight for dominance over the plushie and switched to holding an in-depth conversation about the hidden benefits to applesauce being used as an adhesive.

* * *

After a while, Severus made some noises about needing to get back home to check on some potions he'd been in the middle of brewing the previous day while Remus and Sirius were quietly making plans on where and how to raise Harry. Sirius had wanted to take him back to Potter Manor, as that's where the elves were and where Harry was most comfortable. Remus reminded him of Petunia's offer to raise him with Dudley, pointing out that it would get awfully lonely for the toddler and also potentially traumatizing if he called out for his parents and they never answered.

Sirius finally relented, "Let me know if you need money or whatnot from the Potter vault to offset the expenses of having another child here, James gave me partial access to the vault." Sirius offered, "Oh, that reminds me. We, or perhaps just I, should go to Gringott's and see if they have any knowledge of whether or not James and Lily are still alive. Also and regardless of their status, I need to let them know that I'll be taking up guardianship of Harry."

"Sounds good to me and I'll let you know if financial assistance is needed. Thanks, Sirius." Petunia replied, "I need to contact the Aurors and update the case agent in charge of our ideas and suggestions. I think they should be informed as well."

Standing up; first Sirius then Remus and finally Severus gave Petunia a comforting hug as well as Harry though the toddler just squirmed and giggled from all the attention before they headed outside and disapparated to their self-appointed tasks.


	11. Chapter 11

**Saturday 7 November, 1981**

By the end of the week, a lot had happened to the relatives of young Harry Potter. First, Remus had made contact with the Longbottoms and made sure that they were okay and safe. To his relief, they were and more than ready to emerge from hiding. They were naturally stunned and saddened by the loss of James and Lily and both vowed that they would assist in the search for their bodies. Sirius had had the bright idea to check in with the Goblins to see if the elder Potters lifestones still glowed. With a sob of relief, Sirius was gleefully able to report back to the others that their stones did indeed still glow.

"Now we just need to be able to find them," Remus commented to the others. Vernon suggested that tracking thing again, which caused all present to slap their foreheads in disgust at themselves for not thinking of it first.

A quick _Point Me_ charm and Remus' wand spun around until it was pointing in a southerly direction.

Severus cocked an eyebrow as he examined all known reasons for a magical to be in that direction, "Hmmm…the only place I could think to check would be Stonehenge."

Petunia was already in the process of grabbing her keys and jacket, "Well, let's go! What are you all waiting for?"

* * *

The group got out to Stonehenge and began an exhaustive search of the legendary site as well as the surrounding terrain. Petunia went in search of a public telephone and called a special number to get ahold of the Auror department so they could send someone out. She also requested that they bring along an Unspeakable or two in case there was residual Dark magic that needed to be dealt with.

The ritual circle they found was nearly destroyed but enough had been recovered to suggest that James, Lily and Harry were to be used as a sacrifice towards increasing the lifespan of a recipient. According to the Unspeakables, the ritual was similar in nature to that of the one used to create Horcruxes. Petunia and the others who knew what that meant were horrified at the thought that Harry might be one. The Unspeakables ran another, deeper scan of the scar on Harry's forehead later in the week and found traces of someone else's magical signature but it was inconclusive as to whose. They did find a magical parasite that was embedded within the scar. Fortunately for everyone, it was currently reading as being inert and therefore not affecting Harry in any way. The suggestion that the parasite should be removed was tossed around. Petunia was all for it but the magically raised thought the mere idea of cutting into a person was abhorrent.

"It's a fairly simple procedure and not at all what you're thinking of," Petunia commented later during one of their weekly meetings, "We have surgeons that perform these operations numerous times and with the added benefit of magical healing, I'd wager that Harry wouldn't even have a scar at the end."

"Sirius?" Vernon began, "You're legally the boy's godfather. What do you have to say about this?"

Sirius ran his hand through his hair and leant back in his chair before letting out a long sigh, "I think I need to do more research into this operation that Tunie has suggested before I make my decision."

The others could find no fault in that.

* * *

Thanks to the diligence of the Auror investigative team and by sheer fluke of luck. James and Lily Potter had been found barely alive by some muggle tourists, laying in the remnants of the ritual circle within the legendary Stonehenge. The elder Potters had been rushed to a nearby muggle hospital while notices had been sent out to all local police precincts. It was only because of a wild idea by a muggleborn Auror to even think of checking the muggle world, were the Potters even found. Vernon postulated that it might have been because they'd been moved Remus was able to get a definitive reading off that _Point Me_ spell.

In the meantime, the elder Potters were in a vegetative-like coma, unable to respond to outside stimulus but when the mind healers from Saint Mungo's used Legilimency on either of them, they found that there was brain activity not unlike someone suffering from long-term exposure to the Cruciatus Curse in addition to some weird potion still circulating within their system.

As a result of that, the pair was admitted to the long-term Spell Damage ward and treatments were planned out. The 'weird potions' were flushed out of their bodies and the mind healers set about trying to make contact within the chaotic maelstrom of their minds. The staff admitted to very little hope of recovery but no one was willing to express that to the grieving family members.

* * *

To keep Harry busy during the investigation, Frank and Alice Longbottom had invited Harry and Dudley to come spend the day with their son, Neville. The Longbottom Heir was a bit shy of the newcomers at first but eventually his child-like curiosity got the better of him and before long, he was in the thick of the toddler action of seeing how high they could stack their blocks before gravity caused the stack to fall.

Sirius and Petunia both went into Gringott's to deal with the Potter estate and finances and to request that any prior plans and major investments be put on hold until Harry was old enough to handle them himself. Sirius had asked their account manager if there was a child's version of a financial report and account management class that Harry could take part in when he got old enough. The Goblin was intrigued by the idea and said that he'd have to look into it. He did allow that there was one for Goblin children but didn't know if it would be permissible for a human child to join said classes. Remus had been offered the position of Steward but had declined on the premise that he wouldn't have the time to do a proper job since he was starting to work towards his Mastery in Defense.

* * *

**Monday 9 November, 1981**

Petunia had eventually gone back to work and was busy as she and her staff began the finalization of a new educational program for incoming Ministry workers who would be interacting with muggleborn students and their families as well as the wider non-magical world. The new program would encompass information and training such as how to live in the non-magical world if there was a problem and the magical couldn't get away safely. Items such as how to purchase tickets, how to read signs and signals, operating the new telephones, the burgeoning world of computers and other electronics, how to drive a car safely and how to perform necessary maintenance, how and where to go to purchase groceries and things of that nature.

When she got home one evening, Petunia was assaulted by the screaming noise that only an excited toddler could create.

"MAAMMAAA!"

Feeling emboldened, she decided to play along, "DUUUDDDLEY!"

"MAMA!"

"DUDLEY!"

This went on for a couple of minutes before Dudley decided it was no longer fun and ran out of the hallway, all the while giggling like mad. Shaking her head in amusement, Petunia dropped her purse off on the credenza and followed the shrieking menace that was her son into the kitchen. She spotted her baby boy reaching for a pot that was sitting on the counter and raced to intercept.

"No, Dudley! No pot. Here, bang on this instead," she gently admonished while handing him a plastic mixing bowl. Dudley scowled for a moment before accepting the brightly colored plastic bowl and began pounding a rendition of something only he knew what. Shaking her head in bemusement, Petunia looked around to see where Harry was but didn't see him anywhere nearby.

"Harry? Harry, where are you?" she called out, getting a little bit frantic when he didn't respond.

She looked high and low, thinking he might've been hiding behind one of the lower pantry doors when she heard a quiet whisper of an adult male voice and the light giggle of a toddler. Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a amused sigh, Petunia walked past the cupboard under the stairs, all the while purposely ignoring the fact that the door was slightly ajar and she could see Harry's foot sticking out.

"Hmmm, I wonder where Harry could be?" she mused out loud to another burst of giggles, "I can't seem to find him. Did he turn _invisible?"_ More giggles. She reached out for the cupboard's doorknob and yanked open the door. Simultaneously, both she and Harry yelled 'Boo!' at each other before Petunia grabbed Harry, pulling him in to give a raspberry on his neck and cheek. He squealed and squirmed in excitement before managing to wrest himself free of the 'kissy monster.' Petunia let him go as she stood up to face her husband who had stood there the entire time with a laughing smirk on his face.

"Stinker, what kind of example does this set for our son when you go hiding while he's trying to pull pots off the counter, "she mock-glared at him before melting into a warm smile and giving her husband a kiss on the cheek as well.

Vernon laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "Awww, there's no harm in helping Harry pull a prank or two. Keeps him happy and busy," he frowned then, "but you're right that I should've kept a closer eye on Dudley. I didn't know that he was going to attempt something dangerous."

Petunia kept an eye on Harry as he scampered off towards the living room where they kept a small toy chest and began to rummage around looking for something in particular. Giving a yelp of happiness, he pulled out a stuffed dragon and a plastic shark before plopping down and playing.

* * *

"How was work today?" Vernon asked from the kitchen as Petunia settled into her easy chair.

Sighing, Petunia replied, "Not too bad. We're finalizing the updates to the new educational program for the magicals who need to interact with the mundane world. It's rather exciting to do all that research as to what's new and fresh, so much keeps changing."

Vernon entered the living room and handed his wife a glass of juice and a napkin wrapped blueberry muffin. She glanced at it before raising her eyes and quirking a puzzled eyebrow at him.

Shrugging, Vernon said that dinner wouldn't be for another while and that this would take the edge off without being too filling and plus, it was healthy-ish. Chuckling, Petunia just shook her head before sipping the juice and breaking off and eating bits of the muffin.

Gesturing to where the boys were, she inquired as to how their day was with only Vernon in supervision. With a hand over his heart, he gave a mock-exclamation of surprise and hurt that his wife would think so lowly of him that Vernon couldn't handle two toddler boys for an afternoon alone.

Grinning, "Seriously though, things were fine. Sirius showed up just after you left and we took the boys to the park and let them run wild for a while. Then we had lunch at McDonald's before deciding to head to that new children's gymnasium and play place over in Dorking."

"Dorking? Bit far to drive over there, isn't it?"

"Aye, normally but Sirius found a magical place that allows for floo travel so we did that. Have I mentioned how much I love magical travel?"

Petunia grinned in response, "Only every time it's brought up."

* * *

It was during that week that made Petunia seriously consider dropping both Dudley and Harry off at the circus and leaving as quickly as possible. Both boys were fully into their 'exploration phase' and decided that the kitchen would be the next grand adventure. Dudley had managed to open the pantry door and began rummaging around amongst the sacks and larger cans. Harry had discovered a bag of shiny wrapped chocolates and managed to figure out how to open it before the two boys experimented with the wrappings.

Dudley had made a disgusted face when he tried to eat the chocolate, wrapper and all and threw it across the kitchen where it made a wet sounding splat on a cabinet door. Harry discovered that the wrapping needed to be removed by peeling tiny strips off and soon there was a pile of silver wrapping strewn all over the pantry floor.

The resulting sugar high between the boys was amusing to watch for the first five minutes before getting old.

Petunia sighed as she swept up after the little monsters, "Vernon? Are you _sure_ we can't sell them to the circus or something?"

Vernon grunted in bemusement as he assisted in trying to wrangle two hyperactive toddlers into their playpen.

"Just be glad they didn't discover the flour sacks in there before we caught them."

* * *

By that Friday, Sirius had come to his conclusion as to whether or not to schedule Harry for muggle surgery. He'd surprised everyone by actually going and speaking with a muggle doctor and explained in general, muggle-safe terms that Harry had been in an accident that left him with the scar and the family wished to have it removed. The doctor asked all sorts of background questions to get a clearer picture and also asked to examine Harry, himself. The diagnosis that came back said that it would be no problem for the toddler to undergo the treatment and that it could be done as part of an outpatient procedure.

"So there it is, ladies and gentlemen. I agree with the idea to have Harry undergo the treatment and get that scar removed. I think it would be best to have an Unspeakable standing by as well just in case that _thing_ inside the scar decides to wake up."

* * *

**Saturday 14 November, 1981**

The following Saturday, the Dursleys were introduced formally to the Longbottom family despite working together during the search for James and Lily. Petunia vaguely remembered being introduced to Alice via the mirror years ago but this was the first time in person they'd met. Harry, Neville and Dudley were practically inseparable and in their own babyish way, took turns to see who amongst the three of them could be the cutest in order to get a treat or two from the adults. It warmed the hearts of everyone who saw them play nicely together and raised their hopes that maybe someday, the wider worlds could be brought together as well.

* * *

Petunia and Vernon were relaxing by the pool at Longbottom Hall chatting with Alice and Frank while Frank's mother Augusta Longbottom, was busy directing the elves on various things and also trying to keep an eye on the boys.

"So Vernon, what's new in the mundane world of what is it that your company makes? Drills, I think?"

Sipping his drink, Vernon replied that there really wasn't anything earth shattering that happened in this particular line of work, "Most interesting thing that could ever happen really, is if I were to land a large sale with someone like the military for example. Though if you were to listening to the folks in marketing, the next big thing to get 'all excited over' is a new model that has a more ergonomic grip handle that eases the strain on the operator's wrist and hand."

That sparked another brief conversation as to just what 'ergonomics' was all about. Alice had commented that there were a few gardening implements that could probably use this novelty as her hands would become numb from prolonged use.

There was a brief pause in their conversation before Petunia spoke up, "I'd think that things must be more exciting in the magical world. Don't you have some sort of major event coming up soon?"

Frank nodded, "Yup, the 1982 Quidditch World Cup. Shame that Britain didn't place well enough to make it to the finals but we are sending over a security team to accompany some of our officials who wanted to go see it."

"Where's it going to be held and who's playing?"

"Brazil, I think. It'll be between the USA and the Brazilians. I'm going to be going as part of the security team while Alice here gets to spend all her free time spoiling Neville." Alice grunted and playfully slapped her husband on the arm. The Dursleys just laughed at the byplay.

* * *

Harry carefully and slowly approached Petunia a moment later, carrying a small cup of what appeared to be water. He held up the cup with a proud look on his face and declared, "D'ink!"

Petunia cocked an eyebrow up and shot a glance over at her husband. Gingerly, she took the cup from Harry and examined the contents as best she could. She narrowed her eyes as a horrible thought came to her. Turning back to her nephew, she asked him where he got the drink. Harry immediately pointed off in the direction of the bathroom. This caused the others to snort in amusement.

"I suspect the only place he could reach to get that…water, was probably from the toilet." She dryly commented before quietly and quickly pouring the contents of the cup into the potted plant next to her. She then pretended to drink it before handing the empty cup back to Harry.

"Mmm, that was good. Harry, why don't you, Neville and Dudley go play over there?" she suggested by pointing to where a sandbox had been set up with a number of brightly colored toys.

She shook her head in exasperation and rolled her eyes, "I'm just glad I had the foresight to ask him where he got the water. Imagine if I'd drunk it first _then_ asked?"

The other adults laughed again while Vernon patted her on the shoulder.

* * *

Later while the kids were down for a nap and the menfolk had wandered off to look at the latest mechanical monstrosity that Sirius had bought when he'd arrived that afternoon, Alice and Petunia were quietly chatting in the conservatory.

"Petunia? May I admit something to you, something of a bit of a secret?"

Petunia straightened up in her seat, "Of course, Alice. What's the problem?"

Glancing around briefly, Alice related how she'd had a nightmare recently that portrayed her and her husband in a similar situation that the Potters found themselves in.

"Strange thing about it was that it wasn't some Dark ritual that caused our insanity but the actions by a Dark Witch and her followers. I didn't recognize any of the attackers other than the witch's insane cackling. It made me think of Bellatrix Lestrange's nerve-wracking laugh to be honest. Anyway, they were searching for information as to the whereabouts of their leader and were going to torture us until we gave them what they wanted." She shuddered at the memory.

Petunia was silent during the recounting before leaning over and gently patting the other woman's hand, "It was just a nightmare, Alice. I wouldn't put any stock in it myself. Lestrange and her ilk are long dead and gone."

Alice nodded sadly, "Any word on whomever it was that attacked Lily and James?"

Petunia shook her head, "No. There's the theory that it was Albus Dumbledore but it seems that the trail went cold after the Unspeakables tried to do whatever it is they do when that ritual circle was found at Stonehenge. Nearest they think that the trail leads to is in the general direction of Germany but even then…that's a huge area to cover." She didn't want to admit that the letter that had been with Harry mentioned Dumbledore's involvement.

"I heard they investigated all known haunts of Albus Dumbledore? It's still hard to believe that the supposed 'Leader of the Light' could've been so…Dark."

Gesturing with palms up, Petunia shrugged, "There's an old saying. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Dumbledore seemed to have gotten a taste of absolute power and didn't want to stop. I hope they catch him soon. I shudder to think of what sort of trouble it would cause for our boys when they get older and eventually get out into the world."

* * *

Harry's appointment for scar removal surgery arrived on a blustery November morning a week and a half after Sirius had decided to go forward with it. The anaesthesiologist took down the necessary last minute information and administered the knockout gas after wheeling Harry into the surgery room. The whole thing took no more than forty-five minutes before the surgeon assistant was wheeling Harry's bed to the recovery room.

The surgeon met with Petunia and the others and said that there were no complications and that Harry would be waking soon.

Everyone was relieved and grateful that little Harry Potter wouldn't have to grow up with such an ugly scar. The Unspeakable had scanned Harry's forehead and declared him free of the parasite. Said parasite would be taken back to the Department of Mysteries to study before being destroyed.

* * *

Even though the boys weren't even two years old yet, Petunia thought it might be a good idea to start teaching them some basic lessons. She had them identify different colors, shapes and textures while also reading short stories to them during her downtimes. As a treat to Harry for being such a good boy after the 'Great Chocolate Incident,' the Dursleys took the boys to go visit James and Lily in Saint Mungo's. While the Healers remained adamant that the elder Potters still showed no signs of wakening, Petunia and Vernon just held some hope that by being able to hold their son, it might elicit _some_ kind of response.

"Now show me 'nice,' Harry," Petunia quietly asked of the toddler as she carried him into the wardroom. Harry patted her arm lightly, "Good boy. Now when you see Mama and Dada, you have to show them 'nice.'

The three Dursleys and one baby Potter entered the ward where James and Lily were residing and Petunia carefully placed Harry down on the bed between his parents.

"Hi, Lily. It's your sister, Petunia," she whispered and gently grasped her sister's hand, "I brought someone along that I hope you'll open your eyes for." She moved Harry closer and said, "Harry? Can you show Mama 'nice?"

"Mama," he said while gently patting her arm then turned to his father and said, "Dada," then patted his.

* * *

It's often said that there is no purer joy than having a child's wish come true. That's exactly what happened when Harry patted his parents' arms and said their names. First Lily then slowly James opened their eyes and stared unfocused at the sight of their baby boy sitting between the two of them. The next thing that happened was something no one would've expected.

"H-Ha-Haarrryy…." Lily whispered.

* * *

**Thursday 31 December, 1981**

It was New Year's Eve and the Dursleys, the remaining Marauders, the Longbottoms and several other friends and coworkers were gathered to usher in the New Year at Potter Manor. The kitchen elves were busy making sure that everyone had enough food and drink all the while the rest were trying to keep the children occupied and out of trouble. Rumors around the Ministry had hinted that Dumbledore had been sighted up in Hogsmeade only for that to be squashed when it was revealed, much to the annoyance of the man in question, that it was actually Albus' brother Aberforth, who had a strong resemblance to the fugitive, especially with the heavy and long beard. Aberforth swore from that moment that he'd be heading to the nearest barbershop to get it shaved and keep it short so there'd be no more hassles.

Sirius had introduced a member of his family who had been originally disowned because of prior prejudices but was now in the process of being welcomed back, Andromeda Tonks, her husband Ted and their daughter Nymphadora. Nymphadora made it _quite_ clear that harsh retribution would be had if anyone dared to call her by that hated name and would glare at her mother every time it was used. Vernon had politely asked the young girl which name she preferred to use and was told to call her either by her surname or by Dora. Sirius promptly started teasing her by calling her 'Nymmie.' She responded by revealing her 'special' talent of being a metamorphmagus and changing her appearance to his and causing a ruckus by going around to the other adults and insulting them to their faces and acting all drunk.

It took a little while before Remus, who commented that Dora's impersonation of Sirius was spot on _visually_ but that her scent was different enough to his nose that he was able to spot the imposter, detected the ruse. In the end, she was banished to go play with the other children and not come out until it was time to leave.

Vernon had his arm around his wife and a glass of champagne in his hand as they began the countdown to the New Year. In his mind, he gave his wish that this coming year would hold many good changes. He wished for his brother-in-law and sister-in-law would recover, that he'd get that big promotion at work and that his small family would prosper.

Petunia had similar thoughts though also added that she hoped that Albus Dumbledore would finally be caught and this whole nightmare would end…

* * *

_**In an undisclosed location…** _

"M-Master? It's almost midnight. I-I just wanted to wish you a happy New Year," Peter Pettigrew stammered nervously to a shrouded figure sitting in front of a roaring fire.

"The New Year approaches? Yes, thank you Mr. Pettigrew. How are our guests this night?"

Fingers twitching nervously, Peter replied that they were bedded down and asleep.

The shrouded figure nodded slowly, "Excellent. Soon it will be time for their education to begin. The Greater Good demands it…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about raising kids. Pinterest and YouTube only get you so far. Any mistakes are my own.

**Friday 1 January, 1982**

Petunia had needed to go into work seeing as how it was still a workday and was also in need of picking up a few things from the apothecary. Vernon was at work; the others were busy doing other things so there was no one that could watch the children. _'I wonder if I could borrow one of the Potter elves to watch the kids while I run my errands?'_ she mused.

Thinking a little more on it and figured it wouldn't hurt to try, she called for a Potter elf. With a slight popping noise, a young-ish looking male elf appeared before her.

"Yes, Missus Flower? How can Kaden be helping?"

Petunia chuckled to herself. _'Well my first name is a flower; so it shouldn't be that much of a surprise.'_

"Kaden, I need to go to work today and also run a few errands. Would you or any of the other elves be willing to watch over Dudley and Harry until I or one of the others get back?" Kaden began to bounce on his feet excitedly.

"Kaden would be honored to do that!"

"Very well. Okay, both boys have already eaten their breakfasts and are probably raring to go out and get into toddler versions of trouble. If you are up to it, you can let them into the backyard for an hour or two. Just make sure they don't try to eat the grass." She said that last bit with a grin.

Kaden bowed before her, "It will not being a problem Missus Flower, Kaden has raised little ones before."

Petunia gave Kaden a pat on the shoulder before grabbing a pinch of floo powder and whisking off to the Ministry.

* * *

_**At Boyle & Cauldron Apothecary, Bolin Alley, Diagon Alley…** _

No matter how many times she visited the Alley, the name of it would make her chuckle and cause her to reminisce of the old days when she, Lily or Maya would come down to browse around looking for 'hidden treasures.' They'd discovered that Diagon and Knockturn weren't the only magical shopping streets available to them. There was also Bolin Alley and a trio of streets named, 'This, That and The Other.' Bolin Alley was dedicated to the muggleborn families who weren't able to get shop space on Diagon because of how crowded it was and also for the underlying prejudice from the purebloods.

This Street was geared towards the active witch or wizard who wanted more sports than what was normally offered in the magical world. Games like British football or soccer in the USA, baseball, and basketball and water sports in addition to the aerial games normally associated with brooms as well as adventure trips from around the world.

That Street was laid out as a one-stop shop for all things book related. It was a bibliophile's dream comes true. Bookstores from one end to the other, each offering a different variety, genres and languages as well as muggle books of the same qualities. Stores for stationary and quills for those who wanted to write books, ink suppliers, bookbinding companies and their associates.

The Other Street was a sort of lighter version of Knockturn Alley. It wasn't as deep and dark or as dangerous as that but it still wasn't the sort of place you went to for no apparent reason. This was also where the non-human citizens that weren't so down on their luck went to spend their free time or to find jobs.

* * *

Petunia stepped into the muggleborn owned and operated apothecary of _Boyle & Cauldron _and sighed pleasantly. The cool and refreshingly clean air always made her relax a bit. That and the fact that the shops of Bolin Alley had been warded to allow for modern muggle conveniences like electricity, electric heating and cooling and modern indoor plumbing. It was a constant source of smugness and a bit of scorn towards the magicals amongst the muggleborns when they saw how Diagon was so stubborn against implementing it.

"Welcome to Boyle & Cauldron, is there something I might be able to help you find?" the shopkeeper, Kevin McDougal, inquired as he stepped out from the back office, "Oh, hello Petunia."

"Hello, Kevin. I just need to refresh my basic potions supplies and to see if you have anything for toddlers to help them with stomachaches."

"Hmm, well the childrens' pain relievers are over on the far wall there, let me get those for you and I'm sure you already know where the other ingredients are, Petunia?" She nodded, "Very well. Are they experiencing severe pain or is it more mild?"

"It depends on what they've been eating, supervised or otherwise."

Kevin gave a rueful chuckle, "Adventurous types? You mentioned once that you have two boys? Yeah, not surprising then that they'd be experiencing stomach problems. They're probably at the stage of 'toddler see, toddler do.'"

"Pretty much. Harry will find something shiny and Dudley will want it and vice versa. You should've seen them when they managed to get into my pantry and discovered the joy of throwing flour at one another. It looked like a blizzard had hit my kitchen."

* * *

After Petunia had purchased her supplies, the two adults continued to chat about some of the changes that had been occurring of late in both the magical and mundane world. Kevin was a little hesitant to bring it up but eventually he asked how little Harry Potter was doing.

"He's doing quite well. He's no longer having the nightmares every night and seems to be developing just like any other nearly two year old boy." Petunia stated proudly, "It also helps that every weekend, I take him over to Saint Mungo's to visit his parents."

Kevin nodded sagely, "I was pleased as punch to learn that the Potter's survived their kidnapping. How are they doing? Last I heard, they were sitting up and able to answer yes or no questions."

Petunia sighed, "It's slow going. Right now, they're on the same response ability to that of Harry. I'm always positive that eventually the Healers will hit upon the right treatment and restore my sister and brother-in-law to their normal states."

"How are you holding up with all of it?"

Petunia smiled sadly, "I'm steady for the most part. I say my prayers and do my research of the latest mundane medical treatments. I wish that Saint Mungo's wasn't so against non-magical treatments." She shrugged off the slight bitterness, "Well, Kevin it's been nice to see and talk with you but I have to get back and find out how much of the house was destroyed by two inquisitive toddlers. If things work out, I just may bring them in the next week or so. I had an idea for a sort of excursion to introduce Harry and Dudley to the magical community and vice versa." She patted his hand and headed out the door. The only reason why she stayed so long and also gave out all that information was because Kevin McDougal was Bolin Alley's biggest and most reliable gossip. She knew that within a few hours, everyone would know about what was happening. She had a plan for that…

* * *

_**Dursley residence, later that evening…** _

"So tell me again why you think it's a good idea to be spreading the news and updates about Harry, Tunie?" Vernon asked as he wiped Dudley's face clean of mashed potato.

"Because I want the magical world to get used to seeing Harry as an ordinary little boy and not some savior or some such nonsense. Did you know that there's already some crazy kind of nickname going around about him?"

Vernon shook his head as he turned back to his own meal, "No, what are they calling him?"

"The-Boy-Who-Lived. I don't know why either; it's not like Lily and James _died_. It's absurd. That's why I want to get him and the public used to each other. They'll get to see him growing up normal and lose their interest."

Vernon gestured with his fork, "Just be careful and not go too overboard with his publicity. There are still plenty of crazies and sympathizers to that Dark Idiot running around."

Petunia agreed and said that she'd run it past the others at their next meeting.

* * *

It took a fair bit of explaining to the others about her idea for a 'neighborhood play date' with Harry and the kids of Diagon and Bolin Alley but she managed to convince them. Because Sirius was at loose ends as to what he wanted to do with his life, he was conscripted into helping plan and organize the event. He was sent out to convince the shopkeepers and their spouses to bring their toddlers into work with them. He also contacted a reporter from the _Daily Prophet_ to cover the event and a photographer to take a few controlled pictures.

The morning of the 'Toddler Sunday Fun Day' arrived bright and early. Harry was already awake and banging a plushie on the bars of his crib. Petunia saw this and chuckled _'It's like he's chanting, 'Azkaban! Azkaban!''_

After breakfast and a quick cleaning, Petunia and Vernon loaded both boys up into their car seats and headed out to Charing Cross Road and after parking, entered the _Leaky Cauldron_. A quick greeting with the bartender and the family of four headed out to the magical entrance to the shopping district.

* * *

Sirius had rented a large hall with an adjoining outdoor garden patio for the event. There were a couple of house-elves borrowed from Potter Manor to act as child-minders as well as food and drink servers. Sirius himself was acting as host while Petunia was in charge overall as well as handling the public relations aspect. She would be roving through the groups of parents and also coordinating with the press to assist them in getting the best photos and interviews.

The toddlers' play area was brightly lit and colorfully painted. There were child slides and a merry-go-round; a couple of bouncy animals, a ball pit and swings rounded out the physical stuff. There was an area set up for finger painting and a space set aside for the more adventurous child to play dress-up. Then there was a maze of sorts constructed from cardboard boxes. Each box had a small window in one wall so the children could look out or in and so the parents could keep an eye on their charges. Harry took one look at the assemblage and made a beeline for the slides. Dudley, on the other hand, headed off to the ball pit. Vernon and Petunia chuckled and split off to tail after their respective child.

* * *

Chatter of all levels soon filled the air. Some of the children had discovered the musical toys so the room was filled with the discordant jangling of xylophones and drums being banged on. Toy pianos were 'played' to who-knew-what tune and the screeches from harmonicas and kazoos were heard over the din. Children babbled in various skill levels of speech while the adults compared or commiserated about their children's abilities. The elves in charge of child minding made sure that no one's eyes were poked and to soothe those who didn't get the toy they wanted. All the adults commented happily to Petunia as she made her rounds that this idea was a surprise and a much-needed activity as it got them out of their homes and interacting socially.

"I must say Mrs. Dursley, that this is far and beyond what I would've imagined Harry to have been like. He's so…normal." A guest complimented before blushing from the last, "You've done an excellent job at raising him."

Petunia smiled proudly and thanked the woman for her compliments. She glanced over to the last spot she'd seen Harry and Dudley wander off to and spotted Harry's raven colored messy hair amongst a sea of toddlers as they made their way through the box maze. Each toddler had been given a magical marker that would allow them to draw to their heart's content and create whatever story they had in mind but also keep their clothes free of ink.

* * *

The Longbottoms arrived just about an hour after the play date got started. Alice put Neville down on the ground and followed him into the morass of children while Frank meandered over to where the fathers were gathered. Vernon greeted Frank and gestured off to where he spotted Alice returning from leaving Neville with the others in the box maze.

"So how is your boy doing? He always struck me as the shy, quiet one."

Frank accepted a fizzy drink from a passing elf and took a sip, "It does seem like that, I'll agree. He prefers to spend the day just digging in the dirt and talking to the plants. I'm hoping that by introducing him to more rambunctious children like this, it'll cause him to spread his wings a bit." He glanced around the room, "So where are yours?"

Vernon lazily gestured to the maze, "Last I saw them, they were in the middle of the maze armed with one of those magical markers. I'm not worried, Sirius set up the room so that there's an age line at the door. No one under the age of ten will be getting out of here without setting off an alarm."

* * *

While the children played and interacted, the invited reporters and photographers were busy interviewing Petunia, Vernon and any of the other parents they could corral. Excitement and approval was high and abundant for the 'Toddler Sunday Fun Day,' and there were tentative talks about holding new ones at least once a month.

Petunia was sitting with a group of mothers chattering away about random things in regards to childrearing and care. Petunia had commented that raising a magical child was certainly different to that of her own son.

"Dudley hasn't shown anything in the way of magical talent but then again, I'm only a hedge witch while Vernon is a muggle. It would be nice if there were a primary school geared for both sides of the proverbial magical coin."

Amelia Bones, aunt of little Susan Bones, took a sip of her Butterbeer and asked what Petunia meant.

"Well, I was nearly thirteen when I started my own magical education and that had to be done on my own. Any questions about the coursework or tests had to be done down at the Ministry. If there were a primary school where they taught the children the basics of what they'd need to know for when they go onto Hogwarts, I think it would ease tensions and open things up for new ideas."

"Tensions?"

"I had a bit of animosity and anger at the magical world for denying me entry but it was because of the kind words said to me by Agatha Flourish over at Flourish and Blott's that I was able to find out how to even become a home-schooled witch. I shudder to think about how bitter I would've become if I didn't have that."

The other mothers nodded in thought and some vowed to bring it up with their husbands to propose such a thing at the next Wizengamot meeting.

* * *

The event eventually wore down as the children grew tired and needed to be put down for naps. Harry was found splattered with various food-safe creams and watercolor stains in the sand pit, Dudley was sleeping on one of the low wooden bridges to the 'pirate's lair.' Neville had sought out the sensory play area that had the box with dirt and a couple of child-safe plants. He made a sort of fort like structure from some pillows and a couple of plush toys that guarded his entrance.

When the Dursleys and Sirius got back to Privet Drive, the children were put down in their cribs while the adults crashed on the couch and chairs.

Sirius let out an exhausted sigh of relief, "I can't believe how exhausting that was! I'm glad it's over and if the parents want to do it again, I'll be glad to hand over my notes and contact information." Vernon and Petunia chuckled their sentiments.

"Any word from Remus or Severus, Sirius?" Petunia asked after a moment of silence.

Sirius picked at his thumbnail before glancing up, "Last I heard, Remus was in Japan doing research for his Mastery in Defense. Severus, I think was interviewing with a potions lab associated with Saint Mungo's. I know that he'd been apprenticing with Damocles Belby with that werewolf potion."

Petunia tiredly nodded, "I think that we ought to get together at some point to catch up. I miss having you all around. That reminds me, this coming Saturday I'll be taking Harry down to see his parents again. Do you want to go with us?" Sirius nodded his acceptance. "Good, then keep that day clear."

* * *

**[Time skip]**

The march of time progressed as it had for countless millennia and the world continued apace. The magical and mundane families of the Dursleys, Potters, Blacks, Snape and Lupin along with their friends the Longbottoms and now the Bones' grew and thrived. Neville Longbottom had just celebrated his sixth birthday the prior day and now it was Harry's turn.

James and Lily had recovered for the most part after their involvement with that failed ritual at Stonehenge. Based on their testimony and extracted memories, the main perpetrators were Peter Pettigrew and Albus Dumbledore. From what little they were able to glean from their memories, Peter was just a pathetic minion of Albus Dumbledore and his bid for power. Albus on the other hand, had fallen to the Dark side and was heard and seen throughout the memories that had been extracted extolling how it was up to him to oversee the implementation of 'The Greater Good.' Both James and Lily had tried on multiple occasions during their incarceration to find out more about this grand plan of Albus' but were rebuffed each time.

In the meantime, the Potter family was back home in their manor and Harry had been returned to them. The manor's wards had been updated and strengthened to rival that of Hogwarts.

* * *

Vernon had gotten a promotion he'd been working towards and was now Regional Manager for Grunnings Drills. He had a lovely corner office on the third floor of the company's London office as well as a secretary. Despite the efforts of the local pub and eateries through their usual fare and advertising, Vernon was determined to maintain a healthy weight thanks to many an afternoon spent with his magical and mundane friends as they practiced and played football and Quidditch. Though he was unable to fly on a broom without another magical person, he'd taken up the role of Announcer as well as Physical Trainer. He'd introduced the magically raised to the benefits of getting in weight training and aerobics as well as endurance running and it showed in their game practices.

Petunia had been promoted to the exalted rank of Director of the Muggle Liaison Office. While most purebloods would look upon said promotion and just scoff that it wasn't an important position within the Ministry; Petunia was proud of the work and effort she'd put in to achieve it. She had an award winning staff, in her opinion and her training seminars were always popular and well attended.

* * *

Sirius Black had floated around aimlessly for a while, unsure as to what he wanted to do with his time outside of school. He had tried a few different paths but none seemed to really catch and hold his attention. It wasn't until he was working on his latest motorcycle acquisition that he realized that he not only enjoyed being a mechanic but was also very good at it. As a result of a conversation with his friends and family, he got a job as a mechanic apprentice in a local shop. He kept his magical ability quiet for the most part while on the job though there were a few instances where he would occasionally use it to get a stubborn part to cooperate.

Remus Lupin had gone on to earn his Mastery in Defense and was also in the process of earning his muggle teaching credentials after being asked to tutor some of the neighborhood kids and finding that he enjoyed passing along his knowledge. His regular 'disappearing act' did cause a bit of consternation amongst the parents, but with a bit of brainstorming, Petunia and the others came up with the story that Remus suffered from anemia and on certain days of the month was unavailable so he could get medical treatment. The paling of Remus' complexion and general lethargy on the approach and recovery of the full moon was perfectly covered by their story. The look on their friends' faces as it was explained caused no end of laughter from Sirius and Severus.

Severus Snape had earned his Mastery in Potioneering and was looking in getting a posting at Saint Mungo's to become one of their brewers. His work with Damocles Belby in the development of the Wolfsbane Potion was the clincher to getting said Mastery. The fact that he had ready access to a werewolf to test the potion's effects on helped a lot. In addition and thanks to a weekend spent with Vernon examining how muggles produced drugs and other medicines on a large scale, Severus was able to pioneer the development of mass producing the Wolfsbane in such quantities that it drove costs down to where the average were could afford it with minimal effort. This in turn made it possible for them to hold down jobs, get a decent place to live and keep themselves in check.

* * *

Another major development in the intervening four years was the start of a magical primary school where all children, regardless of magical ability, from the ages of five to eleven would be taught not only the usual mundane subjects like English, mathematics, history and the like but also basic magical courses like 'Intro to Latin, potions, theory courses in Transfiguration and Charms. The courses that would need the usage of a wand were obviously not given to the squib or non-magical kids so they were given alternate courses to supplement their curriculum instead.

The older years would be taking basic astronomy classes and touching on subjects like Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Classes on how to hold and properly write with a quill were offered to those who wanted to learn but it wasn't really necessary. A couple of the more progressive families had put forth a revisement to Hogwarts stating, _'that in an effort to keep up with the non-magical world, advancements in teaching and equipment would be introduced.'_ Therefore, future students would be allowed to use pens and pencils for taking notes and tests as well as being able to use regular paper instead of parchment.

Things were looking good for the magical society.

* * *

**Thursday 31 July, 1986**

Today, Harry James Potter was turning six years old. The accomplishments of his family and friends was nice and all but today was _his_ day and not to be trivialized! There was going to be a big party at the Dursley residence so he could invite his non-magical friends from the neighborhood and his primary school. His magical friends had been reminded _again_ not to mention anything magical in front of the mundane kids or their parents.

Not that it was really needed; the mundane parents understood that sometimes Harry would say something that sounded like he was heavily into fantasy role-playing and novels. They'd just shrug it off as 'one of those things' and move onto the next topic of conversation.

* * *

"Harry! Wait up for me!" yelled Neville as he raced towards his best friend who was impatiently waiting to get into the inflatable bouncy castle. Dudley was sitting on the ground next to him tugging his shoes off.

"Come on, slowpoke! I haven't got all day," Harry grumbled loudly but without any heat behind his words. Neville slid to a stop and kicked off his trainers and climbed in behind the messy-haired birthday boy; Dudley seconds behind him as well.

As they bounced and wrestled with each other, Vernon kept an eye on them to make sure they were playing safely. The three were practically inseparable and it didn't make one ounce of difference that Dudley wasn't magical while they were. Pretty soon, others joined them including fellow six year old Susan Bones, niece of Senior Auror Amelia Bones and her friend Hannah Abbott.

"Hey Harry, can we join you in there?" Susan called out.

"Sure! Come on in!" he yelled back as he performed a mid-bounce somersault to the applause of the other boys. The two girls pulled their shoes off and climbed into the castle and joined in on the fun.

* * *

After some time was spent running around like crazed animals, the kids were herded to the table where a nice lunch was given followed by a chocolate and raspberry cake loaded down with six large candles. Lily proudly put a shiny faux crown upon her son's head and told him to make a wish before blowing out the candles. He thought really hard before taking a deep breath and blew out all the candles in one go. His friends and family applauded and cheered as Harry was given a knife to slice up the cake and serve it to his guests.

Next up were the presents; he got the obligatory clothes from his parents and the Dursleys as well as a really cool dragonhide jacket from Sirius. Remus gave him a couple of books on a child's guide to self-defense as well as the one he'd been hoping for: an autographed copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. From Severus, he received a journal to record his experiments in Potioneering. Neville had gifted him a couple of cuttings from the Longbottom greenhouse while Susan and Hannah had gotten him some magical toys.


	13. Chapter 13

**Saturday 2 August, 1986**

Two days later, Harry, Neville and Dudley were over at Bones Manor to take part in a summer learning course that was 'encouraged' by the adults. In truth, it was something to make the kids do so the adults could have a bit of freedom from the never-ending chaos that usually surrounded Harry and his friends.

Today's lesson was being taught by a close friend of Lord Bones on how to act in a social setting based on various situations depending on a person's station in life. How they should act in the presence of someone of a higher social class as well how to behave to someone beneath their particular point in life. All the kids knew by now that it was important that they learn this stuff now so they didn't embarrass themselves or their families later in life.

"After all," their tutor reminded them, "suppose you get invited to meet the Prime Minister or even the Queen? Wouldn't you like to know that you can comport yourself in the proper manner?"

There was a bit of grumbling from the boys but they eventually gave up when they saw how their whining wasn't going to get them out of their lessons.

* * *

_**Later that afternoon…** _

Harry was sitting in his room playing with a couple of toys wishing he could do something to prank his parents or at the very least, his father and godfather. He finally dropped his toys on the floor and trotted off to the basement laboratory that Severus and Lily had set up a couple of years ago. He was lucky when he spotted Severus busy organizing some of the shelves to make room for new ingredients.

"Hey, Uncle Severus."

Severus glanced back briefly and nodded to the boy before turning back to his task. A few minutes later and without turning around, Severus could sense that there must have been a reason for Harry's arrival.

Without turning around again, he inquired, "Was there something you needed, Harry?"

Harry shrugged a shoulder even though he dimly knew that Severus wouldn't see it, "I was kind of hoping you'd help me pull off a prank against my parents."

Severus snorted, "Harry, you should know that no one is allowed to prank your mother. Bad things happen to those who try."

Harry shyly traced a finger around the table before perking up again, "What about just my dad and godfather?"

Severus paused, sighed and dropped his head before muttering, "I got work to do. I shouldn't be party to raising the next generation of miscreants…" He turned and spitted Harry with a piercing stare, "What sort of prank did you have in mind?"

* * *

With the help of Severus, Harry had successfully brewed a simple color-changing potion to be poured into their afternoon tea or something. After bottling a sample of the brew, he quietly padded downstairs and into the kitchen where his mother and the elves were prepping a light lunch for the family and their guests. Lily spotted him almost immediately as he reached for the glasses of Firewhiskey that were slated to be served to his intended targets.

She cleared her throat, which caused Harry to freeze in place.

"Just _what_ do you think you're doing, young man?" Harry glanced nervously over at his mother and saw a questioning eyebrow cocked at him. He gulped and backed down from the counter.

"Well?"

"Um…I, I was…"

The questioning look slowly took on the appearance of mirth as Lily watched her son trying in vain to come up with a semi-believable lie. Harry tried again but kept stammering. Finally, Lily silently held out her hand for the prank potion. Harry handed it over and hung his head in defeat.

"Who was your target?" She quietly inquired as she held up the bottle to visually examine it.

"Dad or Uncle Sirius," Harry murmured.

Lily put the bottle on the counter and moved over to the cooling cabinet, where she pulled out a couple of bottles of Butterbeer. Next, she opened up the prank potion and upended it into both bottles of Butterbeer and swirled it around to ensure even distribution before recapping them and holding them out to Harry.

Harry's face showed complete confusion and it made his mother laugh. "You were planning on spiking their Firewhiskey, right?" Harry dumbly nodded. "Well, the potion would've altered the taste and the appearance enough to alert them that they'd been potioned. With Butterbeer on the other hand, there's enough of a flavoring as well as the fact that it's nearly opaque, that it would be difficult to ascertain that."

Harry's mouth dropped open in shock that his mother of all people would be assisting him in pranking his father and godfather! Normally, she was the one to put a stop to the hi-jinks.

"Harry?" He turned back to her, "Did Uncle Severus help you with this brew?" Harry blushed before nodding. "Don't worry, honey. I'll be sure to talk to him about this. Go have your fun."

With that, she waved him off to the living room.

* * *

**Wednesday 6 August 1986**

There were days and instances where Petunia wondered if the magical world had Orders of Merlin for muggles who came up with brilliant ideas or inventions. After hearing Vernon's off-handed musing on the continuing problem of locating Dumbledore, she would swear that her husband would definitely be a contender for said prize. The families was gathered for a day of planning for the upcoming trip to the beach when the conversation kind of paused while Lily and Severus got up to retrieve their notes from their respective rooms of ideas for activities and whatnot.

Vernon was leaning back in his chair and slowly nursing a bottle of lager when he made a noise of deep thought. James glanced over at him and inquired what it was that was on Vernon's mind.

Setting down the bottle on the side table, Vernon kind of scrummaged up his face as he gathered his thoughts, "I was just thinking… kind of an errant thought, really. How does the Hogwarts administration know where to send the first year letters of acceptance?"

James looked up at the ceiling as he pondered that, "Um, not sure really. I _think_ it's a magical book and enchanted quill. Why?"

Finishing another sip of his lager, "Isn't there a way for the magicals to confuse animals and people or other enchanted items?" James slowly nodded. "Well then, how about confusing that book and quill into thinking that Dumbledore is an upcoming first year?"

Silence. Sirius' mouth slowly dropped open as his eyes widened comically. James' had the look of a complete brainpower failure while Petunia was gazing at her husband with starry-eyed admiration.

Vernon looked nonplussed at their reactions, "Did I come up with something good there?"

Lily and Severus eventually came back to a deafeningly silent room and were filled in on Vernon's idea. Their reaction was similar to the others though Lily did let out a bit of a squeak as she ran to grab some paper and a pen to write a letter to the DMLE Auror in charge of the Dumbledore case.

Petunia promised her husband some 'quality adult time' that evening.

* * *

**Friday 8 August 1986**

The morning of the eighth, the Dursleys arrived via floo to Potter Manor. Harry, who was still half-dressed in his pajamas, greeted them sleepily.

"Harry! Why are you still in your pajamas?" Petunia exclaimed, "Go put on your day clothes, young man. We have much to do! Shoo!"

Harry just stood there blinking owlishly before turning around and stumbling off to his room with Dudley quietly following behind. The floo flared green once more, signaling the arrival of the Longbottoms. Lily came striding into the Receiving Room and rolled her eyes while shaking her head.

"I swear that if there was any doubt that Harry is his father's son, this morning would clear that up right away."

Petunia laughed while Vernon just smirked knowingly, "You should've seen Dudley. He was trying to get his trousers on over his head.

Alice Longbottom entered the room at the tail end of Vernon's statement and grinned, "Trouble in paradise?"

Lily snorted and dismissively gestured towards the direction of the bedrooms, "Nah, just exasperated by the brainless actions of the younger male generation."

Alice laughed while Frank was busy assisting Neville into some semblance of order after their trip through the floo.

* * *

The three families along with Remus, who was in town for the week and Severus who was spending some vacation time from Saint Mungo's Potion Research Division, shared a fairly simple breakfast together while finalizing their itinerary for the day to the seaside. Vernon had originally suggested going to Brighton but after a bit of research, found another destination that had some really nice tidepools, swimming, and other kid-friendly places without it being too 'touristy.'

"So, in addition to finding out about Brighton being too crowded, I think Filey would be our best bet to visit. I also found out that Hull has a really nice aquarium the kids might enjoy visiting." He said as he consulted his list of destinations.

"Should we find out if there are apparition points or a public floo nearby?" Alice worried.

"I think that we should take the train," James suggested, "I believe that Harry would enjoy that and we don't have to worry about trying to find places to park a car or worry about public floos. Some of those places require you to buy something before getting to use them."

Harry finally woke up at that moment, "Train! I wanna take the train!"

The adults laughed at his wide-eyed declaration. "Well, that's one vote for the train. Who else has a suggestion?" Lily giggled as she tousled her son's hair.

There was nothing else, so they gathered up their bags and flooed to the magical side of the Grand Midland Hotel at King's Cross.

* * *

The families had a blast down at the beach. The kids explored the tidepools and found a wealth of marine life and 'awesome' looking shells and rocks. Lily ended up conjuring a bag for each of the boys to store all of their found items then admonished Harry a moment later when he was spotted trying to get a live crab into his bag.

The kids were utterly fascinated by the colorful starfish they found and even dared each other to touch the occasional spiky sea anemone. Dudley had discovered that the translucent 'rocks' were actually shards of bottles that had been thrown into the water by idiotic people. Those bottles had then broken up because of the wave action of the sea and tossed around the sand and rocks to form the pretty stones known as 'sea glass.'

Neville had come across a couple of clams and held them up for examination. He ended up putting them back in the water because he didn't want to be responsible for killing them and because Harry had wanted to see what they looked like on the inside by bashing them open with a couple of rocks but Remus put a quick stop to that.

The seaweed was a lot of fun for the boys to play with when it was discovered to be sort of slimy and stinky from being exposed to the air. Dudley tried to get Harry to eat some of it on a dare but the raven-haired boy just tossed it back into the waves.

When they finally got tired of that, the trio trudged their way back to where their encampment was and grabbed some shovels and a couple of buckets so they could build a sandcastle.

The women were in the middle of a conversation about the idea of introducing additional muggle ideas into the curriculum at Hogwarts, specifically on updating the Muggle Studies course which had become a joke of sorts as the class materials hadn't been keeping tabs on what life was really like. Lily caught the children doing something they probably shouldn't in the corner of her eye and turned to watch.

Harry, Dudley and Neville were lugging a pail of water each and were quietly as possible inching their way up to their respective fathers. Lily chuckled under her breath and shook her head amusedly. That caught the attention of the other two women who glanced over at what Lily was watching.

"Oh, this is not going to end well…at least it won't for the boys. I don't think they thought this through." Petunia mused with a smirk.

Sure enough, the trio of next generation pranksters dumped their pails of water onto their fathers. The resulting yells of shock and squeals of laughter from the kids caused the women to roll their eyes and shake their heads again. The menfolk grabbed their respective offspring and hauled them down to the water's edge to partake in some retribution of their own.

* * *

After a quick stop for lunch, where the kids got into a round of sea life/food jokes, like the lame one where Harry dared Dudley to have a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich, the group boarded a local train and headed up to Hull to visit the aquarium there as well as do some sightseeing. Harry and Dudley were busy examining a 'touch pool' where they got to get up close and personal with various creatures they'd just seen in the wild. Harry was busily jabbering away about their adventures at the beach to the aquarium attendant while Dudley was making faces at the nearby fish tank. Neville had gone to his father and requested a trip to the bathroom.

When they left the touch pools, the group meandered their way around the different displays and tanks. Petunia was busy taking notes on the various information kiosks and commenting that their primary school ought to have a couple of field trips planned for stuff like this. Lily agreed, "It would do the children a world of good to get out and learn in a fascinating environment like this."

* * *

Next, they stopped to watch a short documentary video on the ecological damage that humans caused by littering and what they could do to lessen the burden on the animals who were just going about their daily lives.

They had just arrived at the penguin exhibit when Harry accidentally bumped into a little girl with bushy hair and propelled her into the display window

"Sorry! I didn't mean to do that." He apologized to her as she gathered herself up. She scrunched up her face in disgust and rubbed her arm.

"You should be more careful of where you're thundering around!" She pouted.

Harry dropped his head and scuffed his toe on the floor. "You're right, I should be more careful." She nodded imperiously before turning back to the display.

A moment of silence passed before Harry started glancing over at the girl who was reading the information plaque about the animals within. "We just came from the beach at Filey where we got to look into the tidepools and I found a bunch of shells and rocks." He blurted this out in a rush, "My name is Harry. What's yours?"

The girl turned back and stared at the strange boy, "That's very interesting. I was having fun at the library when my parents decided I could use some 'outdoor time.'" She described the 'outdoor time' with a bit of sarcasm, though Harry didn't recognize it. "My name is Hermione."

"Her…Hermi?"

Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Her. My. Own. Knee. Hermione. I swear that my parents should've never been allowed to name their child. Why couldn't I've had a nice normal name like Susan, Hannah or something like that?"

Dudley sidled up at that moment, "Could've been worse. I got stuck with Dudley. I'm his cousin." He pointed at Harry. "How'd you like to be nicknamed 'Dud'? It makes me sound like a failure."

Hermione giggled a bit, "That's terrible. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed at you."

Harry quipped, "Don't worry about it, just give him something shiny and he'll forget about it." Dudley slugged his cousin on the shoulder as Harry tried to dodge. The two started wrestling each other a moment later while Hermione just glared at the two of them. Neville just shook his head in exasperation.

"Don't worry. They're always like this. Sometimes I think they'd be better off at a zoo where they could just point and grunt for things they want."

Both Harry and Dudley popped back up to their feet and started tag-teaming Neville with silly faces and grunting.

* * *

Petunia spotted the kids having a conversation with an unknown child and smiled to herself. She was glad that Dudley and Harry didn't have any social anxieties with speaking to girls. _'Time enough for that to happen later.'_ She nudged her sister and Alice and gestured with her chin at the sight of the three boys being led around by a somewhat bossy little girl playing at being a tour guide as she explained what was living in the different displays.

Both Lily and Alice grinned and watched the endearing scene. Just as they were turning back to their conversation, there was a disturbance where they last saw the children. One of the support legs for a sign decided then and now to give way and start falling on top of Hermione. She shrieked in fear and to the amazement of those around her, the sign suddenly stopped in mid-fall above the children.

The parents quickly rushed over to the scene. Severus quickly and quietly conjured up a small chain between the sign and the wall so it would appear that was what stopped it from hitting the kids. The crying kids were pulled away and settled into some nearby seats.

Lily handed Harry a bottle of water and ran her hands through his hair and over his face, "Are you alright, Harry? Did you… " Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Did you use magic to stop the sign from falling?"

Harry shook his head vehemently, "No, that wasn't me or Neville." Dudley, they knew wasn't magical in the least.

Lily turned to look over at the girl who was cowering in her mother's embrace and nodded to herself. She pulled Petunia over and explained what Harry had said. Petunia eyes widened and agreed that the girl was probably magical and moved over to speak with her parents.

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Petunia Dursley. I'm with that motley group," she gestured over to where her band of family was sitting, "Is she alright?"

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley, I'm Dan Granger. This is my wife, Emma and our daughter, Hermione. Yes, she's okay if not a bit shaken."

"I was told by my nephew that Hermione here was the one to stop the sign from falling over."

She could tell that the Grangers were very hesitant to admit such a thing. "Don't worry about it. I too, have a bit of the same ability that your daughter has. My sister, Lily, the redhead over there is the one in the family with any real talent."

Emma Granger examined Petunia a bit warily, "What ability would that be, Mrs. Dursley?"

"Please, call me Petunia and that would be your daughter is a witch."

* * *

The Grangers were stunned silent. It wasn't everyday that some stranger could blithely call your daughter a witch and be so calm about it as if it happened on a regular occasion.

"A witch?" asked Emma in disbelief.

Petunia nodded, "It's nothing to be ashamed of or frightened by. It's merely an ability no different or extreme than knowing another language or being able to play an instrument."

"So our daughter can do…magic?" Dan asked, "Like pull rabbits out of hats or card tricks?"

Petunia chuckled, "No, it's more involved than that." She pulled out her wand and levitated her bottle of water off the bench before taking it and handing it over to the Grangers to be examined. "Magic is more structured and less 'stage show' than most would believe, especially those that are new to our side of things. We have two schools for learning magic; one is a primary school where the children study the usual English, mathematics and history while also learning basic potion making, charms and transfiguration. They learn in a safe environment with teachers and staff trained to handle the occasional 'accidental magic' exhibited by children when they get emotional or distressed."

"You mentioned two schools. What's the other one?" Dan inquired. Hermione was intently listening. Learning new things was paramount for her.

"The other school is called 'Hogwarts.' It's the equivalent of a high school in the non-magical world. There, the students learn the more advanced subjects as well as getting more in-depth training for the subjects touched on in primary."

Intrigued, Hermione asked where this primary school was.

"It's located in near Winchester." Petunia explained.

The look of surprise flashed over the faces of the Grangers.

"That's near where we live! I didn't know there was a school for magical children there too, though I'm not surprised. I'm guessing that your people have ways of hiding from other…what did you called them?" Emma exclaimed.

"The unofficial term is 'Muggle' though I personally don't like that name. I prefer using 'non-magical' or 'mundane' to describe someone from the wider world." Petunia explained.

"So how is it that you know so much about the different services and whatnot?" Emma inquired as she stroked her daughter's bushy hair.

Petunia explained her role as the Director of the Muggle Liaison Office within the Ministry for Magic and that their primary mandate was the safe and knowledgeable introduction to the magical world for new families.

"I'd like to show you around, if you're agreeable to seeing the world that you and your daughter are going to be a part of."

"Don't we have a choice? I'm not sure that I want my family to be part of something this big without some serious discussion." Dan interjected.

"Well… you do have a choice but it's kind of harsh. You see, if you don't want to have anything to do with magic, the Ministry is required by law to bind down your daughter's ability to access the magic and wipe your memories of the experiences and knowledge."

The Grangers were appalled at that. _'Wipe our memories?'_

Petunia held up her hands in supplication, "I don't like their methods or reasoning any more than you do but it's one of our oldest laws when interacting with the non-magical world." She reached into her purse and pulled out a business card, which then handed over. "I know that with everything that's happened today, this is no place to make such a momentous decision. Take some time and think about it then call me."

* * *

The 'Herd' as Frank had started calling everyone decided to cut the day short. The boys were disappointed but had no other say in the matter. When they all arrived back at Potter Manor; Harry, Neville and Dudley were sent up to play in Harry's room while the adults sat down in the living room to discuss the events of the day.

Vernon got settled in his chair and thanked the elf that handed him a cup of tea, "Well, this day was definitely an interesting excursion. What's up for next week?" The others groaned or in the case of James, pelted him with a wadded up napkin.

"It's a shame that there's not a better way of identifying the new magical families before their child does some accidental magic." Lily groused unhappily. The others nodded sagely. "It would certainly make things easier."

"The idea of using the Hogwarts' Book of Acceptance to make first contact has been bandied about multiple times by members of the 'Mot but it never really gets decided on." Frank mused.

"I wish the magical world would wake up and realize that the mundane world has moved past the bigotry and distrust of the olden days," Vernon commented as he took a sip of his tea. "That way, those same new families could be gradually introduced instead of it suddenly being dumped into their laps."

"I've had a few interns make that very suggestion, Vernon." Petunia commented, "Each and every time that there's a spate of magical outbursts. I admit, it would make my job a lot easier as well as those of the Obliviator teams but good luck trying to get the fuddy-duddies on the Wizengamot to agree on a proper methodology."

* * *

A week later, Petunia was in her office when her phone rang. It was the Grangers and they had reached the decision to at least get a tour of things and see what was what. She set up a date and time to meet with the family and when she hung up, pulled out an Introduction to the Magical World packet and made sure that it was filled with the right brochures and up to date.

Next, she called up her sister via the mirrors and set up a date with her so that Lily and Harry could be there to assist with the tour. "I think it would be easier for the daughter to have someone about her age there. I got the sense that she's more advanced than others of her age would normally be. Harry's smart too, so he could give them or at least the girl a kid's eye view of the world."

"Good idea. I can give them an overview of what it was like as a student who went to Hogwarts."


	14. Chapter 14

Friday 15 August, 1986

Petunia, Lily and Harry met up with the Granger family at the King's Cross Station since it was a easily recognized location that made it easier for all involved and would be a nice and simple introduction to the magical world. Petunia explained that every September first when their kids would start their first year at Hogwarts, they would come to Platform 9 and enter through the hidden portal to get to Platform 9 ¾. Lily handed out a pair of clunky looking wrist bracelets to each of the parents.

"Ordinarily, the non-magicals or muggles wouldn't be able to see the barrier unless wearing a special bracelet like the one I just gave you. This nullifies the magical effect of making your eyes pass over the entrance without noticing it."

"What happens if a non-magical were to lean up against the barrier wall? Would they fall through?" Dan asked as he adjusted the fit of the bracelet.

Lily shook her head, "No, they wouldn't fall through. It's charmed to resist the presence of the mundane."

The Grangers were guided through the barrier onto the magical platform, Hermione being led by Harry who was grinning happily.

"What's gotten you so happy, Harry?" Hermione inquired curiously.

"I'm finally going to be able to see Platform 9 ¾! I normally only get to hear stories about it." He said as he bounced on his feet.

Lily overheard and rolled her eyes, "Honey? You know that the train isn't even here today, right? It'll look like any other platform here at the station."

Harry pouted a bit as the truth of what his mother said turned out to be true. The legendary steam train was nowhere present within the vicinity. Hermione stuck her hand up to ask a question.

"Where do they store the train when it's not in use?"

Lily looked a bit puzzled and turned to her older sister, "That's a good question, where do they store the train?"

Petunia chuckled, "There's an engine house and storage barn not too far from the platform. It's kept locked and charmed against non-essential personnel though."

Emma nodded at that, "Makes sense. You don't want anyone getting hurt from being where they shouldn't."

Their next stop was the primary school itself. It had the innocuous name of Winchester Academy for Gifted Students in case anyone outside of the magical community happened to hear it. The campus was clean and open with the walls of the interiors lined with bulletin boards covering the accomplishments of the various students and their classes. There were trophy cases full of awards in all sorts of subjects and everyone was pleasant in appearance and temperament.

They nearly lost Hermione when they stopped briefly at the library. She quickly disappeared into the stacks and had to be practically dragged out of the room, pouting the whole time.

Lily giggled at the younger girl's actions, "Don't worry sweetie, when we adults stop to have a chat later, I'll let Harry bring you back here. Okay?" Hermione immediately latched onto Harry's hand so he wouldn't disappear on her.

They were fortunate that the classrooms weren't in use so they could enter and look around By any measure, the school seemed like any other primary school with lessons being given. The adult Grangers were impressed with the level and quality of the education being presented and wondered how it was that the non-magical students didn't get jealous from those who could perform magic.

"It does happen every now and then that a younger non-magical student will become jealous but we have patient teachers who will explain that just because said child can't wave a wand, there are plenty of other avenues of magic for them to learn." Petunia explained, "It happened to me when I was thirteen. Lily and I went into the bookstore in Diagon Alley to purchase her first year texts and I was rather angry about losing out on my dream to study magic as well. I was fortunate that the wife of the owner of the bookstore took pity on me and introduced me to the idea that wand waving wasn't the only option for someone to do magic."

"In the short time that this school has been in operation, we've already had a number of older non-magical children make great strides in coming up with novel solutions in the fields of Arithmancy, Potions and a host of other subjects proving once and for all that magic is what we make of it rather than what someone says it is."

When the adults sat down later for a spot of tea, Harry led Hermione back to the library as promised. The starry-eyed look on her face as she browsed through the books made him quietly laugh.

"I don't get you, Hermione." Harry mused as he followed the girl around, "What's so special about the library?"

She paused as she thought about her answer, "I think it's because I love to read. There are so many possibilities to learn and adventures to go on without having to pack a bag or actually having to go anywhere."

"So what's your absolute favorite book to read then?" he asked.

She shrugged a shoulder as she examined the title of a particularly older looking book, " I dunno. It depends on what I'm in the mood for. Why does this book have a chain on it?"

Harry shook his head, as he didn't know. She tried to open it but it resisted quite violently. The librarian arrived a moment later and asked them to stop hassling the books.

Hermione was puzzled by that, "What do you mean? I was just trying to get the cover open so I could read it."

The librarian looked at her in askance, "You're not a student here, are you?" Hermione shook her head no. "That's why. If you were a student here, the book would've opened for you. Some knowledge is not meant for everyone. Besides, this particular stack is geared for the older children. Why don't you follow me and I'll show you the books we have for someone of your age?"

While Harry and Hermione were curling up with age-appropriate books, the adults were continuing their conversation about the magical world.

"I don't understand why you have to wait so long to contact the family of a magical child or under circumstances such as ours. It seems…cruel, to wait so long." Emma commented.

Both Lily and Petunia commiserated. "We completely agree that it seems heartless and cruel and we could give you the standard answer that would've been trotted out for this very thing but what I and my sister are trying to do and so far we've been succeeding in, is to change that perception that eleven is the right age to start contacting you. With the opening of the primary school we've been able to contact more and more families with the intent to get them educated earlier than normal. Prior to this school, most children would've been educated at home by tutors or their parents. That's why you would've only learned of the magical world when they reached the age to be admitted to Hogwarts."

The Grangers were stunned by this, "What would've happened if there was a student who couldn't afford to be taught at home prior to Hogwarts? Would the school have taught them the basic education standards or would they just the child flounder?"

Petunia sighed heavily, "Unfortunately, they would've done the bare minimum as they wouldn't have been able to handle that plus a classroom full of other children and just hope that the student in question was able to pick it up as they went along or got help from their friends."

They sat there in silence for a moment as they thought about the inequalities of past education attempts.

"So what's next on our excursion?" Dan asked.

Next up was a tour through the Ministry for Magic via the visitor's entrance. The Grangers were looking at Lily and Petunia like they were crazy when asked to step into the telephone kiosk.

"There's no way that we'd all fit in there!" Dan exclaimed.

"Ahh, but that's the beauty of magic," Petunia explained, "Step on in and open your mind to the possibilities!" She demonstrated this by having Lily and Harry enter before she did to prove that there was plenty of room for the Grangers. Hesitantly, they did and were amazed at how much room there was.

"How? How is this possible?" Hermione goggled.

Harry quipped to the groan of the adults, "It's magic!"

They descended through the earth and appeared in the Atrium for the Ministry. As they exited, each of the Grangers marveled at the sight of various magical things surrounding them. The room was brightly lit and well ventilated. There was a gleaming golden statue fountain in the center of the Atrium. A flight of what appeared to be paper airplanes zoomed overhead to who-knew-what destination; there were stars and constellations on the ceiling that changed their patterns and luminosity occasionally. There were all sorts of ordinary looking people going about their daily lives. In addition, they could see some strange looking creatures either walking by or speaking to the other people.

Hermione was holding onto her parents' hands and looked about with wide eyes. 'There's so much to learn here! I want to be part of this!' she thought excitedly as she bounced on her toes. Petunia led the group on a tour through some of the more exciting departments such as the Department of Magical Sports and Games, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and a relatively new department that helped out of work house-elves find jobs and improve their lives through education and skills training.

Finally, they stopped off at the Muggle Liaison Office, which held Petunia's office as well as the smaller offices for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. The Grangers were briefly introduced to the Head of the Misuse office, Arthur Weasley. He was joyful man with thinning hair and an exuberance for his work. He welcomed the potential new arrivals to the magical world and explained what it was that he did in his capacity.

They eventually bid him farewell and continued on their way.

When they finished their tour, Lily led them to the cafeteria for a bit of lunch and a chance to sit and talk.

"Mrs. Potter? When do we get to see Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"We were saving that for the last part, my dear. To get there, we're going to take a special journey through a magical portal." Lily explained as Hermione's eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. She bounced happily and went to go sit by Harry who split his turkey sandwich in half and shared it with her.

"So Dan and Emma, how are you holding up?" Petunia inquired.

Emma huffed a bit, "It's a lot to take in, I'll admit. I still can't believe how…normal it all seems. This world is confusing and overwhelming at times but to see the 'behind-the-scenes' aspect is actually kind of calming, if you understand what I'm trying to get across?"

Both sisters nodded understandingly.

"I think my biggest take away from all of this," Dan began as he waved his hand about him, "is that the magical world, despite being able to make things happen that ordinarily wouldn't, is just like ours. You have a government, schools, hospital and other similar things that we have, right?"

Petunia beamed, "That's exactly what we've been trying to have people realize."

She then gave them the option of seeing Hogwarts next or going over to their hospital to see what their medical practices were like. The Granger parents glanced back at Hermione who was practically fizzing with anticipation to see the school. They chuckled and said that they could see the school first and leave the hospital for another time.

The hardy band of travelers arrived at the Gates of Hogwarts in a tangle of limbs and groans after a thrilling ride via portkey. Harry in particular was bemused by Hermione, who'd landed on top of him and was now holding him like an anchor in a storm.

"Um, Hermione? You can let go of me."

Hermione shook her head then moaned from the action. Emma wobbly stood up and made her way over to her daughter, "Come on, dear. Let the poor boy up." She managed to get her daughter on her feet before the poor girl turned a vibrant shade of green and dashed off to the bushes.

Lily touched Petunia on the arm to alert her of the situation and moved over to where Emma and Hermione were, "Don't worry about this. It happens to the best of us." She pulled out her wand and vanished the mess and cleared the air.

Hogwarts, in the eyes of the Grangers, was living up to the generally held beliefs as to what a magical castle should be like. The sweeping vertical towers, the flying buttresses and more stained glass windows than the eye could count drew them in. When they entered the main entrance, Hermione got her first glimpse of a new world. The Ghost of Gryffindor Tower, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington glided over to them and bowed in a courtly manner.

"Good afternoon, gentle sirs and ladies. To what do we of Hogwarts owe to have the pleasure of your company?"

Hermione and Emma giggled at the display while Lily smiled and curtseyed to the ghost.

"Sir Nicholas, we the Evans sisters are here to show off the school to prospective students."

Sir Nicholas beamed at them, "Well then, be welcome and enjoy yourselves!" He gave one more bow and glided off.

Hermione goggled after the departing ghost, "That…that was a real ghost? Wow!"

Hermione and her parents felt like they'd stepped through the famous Looking Glass into Wonderland as they were escorted throughout the castle and the grounds. They were introduced to a few elves that worked there during the holidays, got to see the Grand Staircase and the Great Hall with its enchanted ceiling. They even got to speak with a couple of the more curious and friendly portraits! When they toured the grounds, they got to meet Hagrid, who was taking a break from tending his garden. He told them what his job entailed and how he was looking forward to when Harry started up in a few years.

"I just hope that you're not going to be as bad and troublesome as your father and his friends were," Hagrid joked. "I can only hope that your mum here will be able to instill some sense into you."

Lily laughed, "What do you mean were? They still act like a bunch of plonkers!"

As a really special treat, as Harry called it, all three Grangers were given the chance to ride on a flying broom around the courtyard. Hermione squealed and held on tight to the broom handle from the moment her feet lifted off the ground to the moment she landed. Granted they didn't go very high or fast but the young girl kept babbling on about how scary it was.

Harry begged his mum to let him go up by himself but to no avail.

"Harry, no. This is the final time I'm going to tell you this. We're not at home with those safety charms."

Dan stepped up at that, "Are there no safety charms here?"

Lily shook her head, "Not during the off-season for the school. The Flying Instructor lays them down fresh at the beginning of each school year. That's why Petunia and I held the children up front where we could keep an eye on them."

"Thank you, that is good to hear."

As medical practitioners themselves, Dan and Emma were hoping to visit the school's hospital section. When they entered, both adults were surprised at the blend of vintage and semi-modern equipment. Poppy Pomfrey came out of her office and was introduced to the trio. When asked about the blend of styles and equipment, she replied that since the start of the 1980s, she'd been encouraged by the Hogwarts Board of Directors to bring the infirmary up to modern standards. The trouble was that she didn't have a clue as to what was modern and what wasn't.

"Then on top of that, there are some modern devices run on that power source the muggles use that just doesn't work right here. I've been told by the administrators at Saint Mungo's that they're coordinating with enchanters to fix the problem but I'm still waiting." She rolled her eyes and shrugged.

Dan and Emma quizzed Poppy on some of the procedures she would routinely come across during a normal school year and also what she knew on how to deal with feminine issues. With a quirked eyebrow, Poppy asked them why they were so concerned about that second part.

"We have a daughter who loves to ask questions and reads a lot. Chances are highly likely that she'd pester you until she learned what she came in for." Emma said with a bit of chagrin.

Poppy laughed, "Not a worry, dear. I've had many a girl come in and do the same thing. I guess when you're seeing what I do for the first time, you either run away screaming or are so fascinated that they just have to ask a ton of questions. Those are the best students in my book. I look forward to working with her when she arrives."

True to the mark, Hermione was busy examining everything within reach within the confines of the infirmary. When the adults were ready to move on, she'd had found a small glass sphere and was busy examining it and jabbering away as to what she thought it did. Harry watched her instead, fascinated by how much she was able to say in one breath. He was thoroughly entranced by how her eyes seemed to glitter as she went on and on about the glass sphere's supposed features.

"Hermione! Put that down and let's get going," Emma called out.

"But…But I want to know what this does!" Hermione huffed as she held up the sphere.

Poppy grinned at the young girl, "That is what we call in the medical field… a paperweight."

Hermione stopped and just stared at Poppy, "You mean…it doesn't do anything?" She looked appalled that she might have gotten something wrong and embarrassed herself in front of everyone.

"Now don't you pout, my dear. Never give up on that inquisitive mind of yours. I heard some of your deductions as to what it could've been and I'm very impressed by your reasonings. Not everything here has a magical property, just…most of it."

Dan and Emma smiled proudly at their daughter's spunk in the face of potentially being wrong. Emma took her daughter's hand as she led her outside.

Right before they left, Poppy mentioned to Lily that she predicted that the girl would be the most likely candidate for Ravenclaw House that she'd ever seen before. "She'll rule the roost one of these days with a mind like hers."

Once they finished with the tour of Hogwarts and stopped in at Hogsmeade for a brief look around, the group headed towards The Three Broomsticks to use the public floo.

Lily spoke up and invited everyone back to Potter Manor to have a break and go over any questions that might've arisen during the day. Dan accepted the invitation on behalf of his family so they were instructed on how to use the Floo Network. Petunia went last to make sure no one got stuck. When she emerged from the flames on the exit end, she dusted off the soot and smiled at the weary travelers.

"Okay, just follow Lily and we'll have some tea and questions. The kids… Harry? Would you mind showing Hermione where your room is? I think the two of you could go play for a while." Harry nodded and took Hermione's hand and led her away.

The adults ended up in the living room and settled onto the couches and chairs. Sighing in relief of her tired feet, Emma remarked on how beautiful the house was. Lily replied that the manor had been in the Potter family for nearly 400 years and had had the honor of being the meeting place of the Welch Council of Elders during the last Goblin uprising back in the mid-1800s.

Up in Harry's room…

The idea of having a girl in his room never crossed Harry's mind. To him, Hermione was just someone whom he was making friends with and a pretty knowledgeable one at that. From the moment she stepped within the confines of his bedroom and spotted the bookshelves of tomes, Hermione Jean Granger was nearly lost in a world of joy. She'd settled herself onto his favorite chair and tried to start reading but as she soon found out when Harry yanked the book out of her hands, she was there to play and NOT read!

"But…but…" she pouted with tears creeping into her eyes.

Harry stood there resolutely, "No, Hermione. We came up here to play. I have a lot of things more interesting than books."

She glared back at him, "Just what could be more interesting than books?"

He held up a doll, "This doll talks back to you if you ask it questions."

Hermione wrapped her arms around herself and huffed, "I have a doll that makes sounds like that whenever you feed it. So what."

Harry pressed the doll into her arms and asked it how it was feeling. The doll opened its eyes and said, "Mama, I'm hungry. Can we go play outside today?"

Hermione turned and still glared at him, "Mine does this too."

Harry held up a red ball and asked the doll what it was. The doll succinctly replied, "That's a red ball." Harry just grinned at the flabbergasted look on his new friend's face.

"Mine…doesn't do that." She slowly sank to the floor and began questioning the doll on what else it could say or do. Soon she was lost in a world of make-believe along with Harry. He pulled out more of his interactive toys along with a huge tub of Legos and began helping her discover her creative side and making stories about whatever it was they were building.

Hermione noticed a glass tank sitting on a low table along one wall near a window. When she peeked inside, she saw that there was a pretty Corn snake basking in the heat from a sun lamp.

"Wow, you have a snake?" she exclaimed.

Harry nodded and scooted over to her, "That's not all. She also talks to me sometimes."

Hermione giggled at the incongruity of that, "And just what does she say to you? Hiss, hiss."

Harry just smirked knowingly in response before turning to the tank, "(How are you doing this afternoon, Sssara?)"

Hermione's eyes widen dramatically. 'Was he actually speaking to a snake?'

The snake replied something that couldn't have been just ordinary hissing. Harry nodded at the snake and moved to a storage cabinet and pulled out a water can then emptied out the container in the tank and refilled it with fresh water. He then turned back to Hermione with a smug look on his face.

"That. Was. Awesome!" she squealed. "Can you teach me how to speak to a snake? Does anyone else know how to do that?"

Harry shrugged, "I could try. No one else in my family can speak to snakes. Just me for some reason."

When it came time for the Grangers to leave, Lily led them into Harry's room only to stop short at the most endearing scene ever. Both kids were curled up on Harry's favorite chair sound asleep. A book lay on Harry's lap and it was evident that the two of them were reading together before they fell asleep.

Emma was grinning happily that her daughter had made such a wonderful friend in Harry Potter. Dan scooped up his daughter and carried her out of the room. Lily used her wand to float Harry to his bed and covered him up. She then escorted the Grangers back to the Floo room. With one more wave of her wand, she cast a charm on the already unconscious child to help her stay that way during the floo ride home.

"How long until that charm lifts?" Dan asked.

"No more than fifteen minutes. It'll last until you get on the train home." Lily explained.

Emma and Dan thanked their host graciously and followed Petunia through the floo and into the receiving room for the Grand Midland Hotel then to the train platform where they promised to contact Petunia about their final decision about letting Hermione join Harry for the upcoming school year and beyond.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parseltongue from now on will be in Bold and Italics. I know nothing about UK education requirements. I've looked online and all I've found are lesson plans geared toward American schools. As a result, any errors are mine.

**Monday 1 September 1986**

Harry James Potter was practically _bursting_ with nervous energy. Today was going to be his first full day of year one in primary school! Yeah, he'd already been there during Reception and had learned a lot but today was a really memorable day because not only was he going to be there but also his newest best friend, Hermione Jean Granger. The two kids had gotten along like nothing else before. In Hermione, he'd found his kindred spirit. She was energetic, loved to learn, loved to read and yet when the time called for it; was ready and willing to go along with just about any adventure the two of them could come up with.

* * *

_**Previously…** _

The last few days of August were filled with last minute preparations and also a bit of education. Hermione spent a good chunk of her free time at Potter Manor learning how to use the Floo Network, how to hold a pencil and write simple sentences, the basics of math and also…how to speak and understand Parseltongue.

_" **Good morning. Today is a beautiful day. How are you climbing?"**_

Harry began to giggle uncontrollably which caused a single eyebrow of Hermione's to slowly creep up her face.

"What did I say that was so funny?"

Harry finally managed to get himself under control enough, "You just asked 'how am I climbing?'"

Hermione groaned as she rolled her eyes and flopped back onto the bed, "I _meant_ to ask 'how are you doing?' Where did I go wrong?"

Harry tummy-crawled over to her and propped himself up on one elbow, "You said, _**'ssai-asha'**_ when you should've said, _**'ssai-eisha.'**_ Don't worry about it. You got the bulk of it and I was able to figure what else you meant."

Hermione groaned again and covered her eyes with her arm, "But I want to get it _right!_ I don't want to look like a fool."

Harry sat upright and gestured widely, "Hermione! Outside of our two families, no one knows that I can speak Parselmouth let alone that you're doing so well in learning it!"

She pulled herself upright and picked at a non-existent thread on the blanket, "I know, it's just a personal thing I guess. I want to do good in school so I can get a good job later in life."

Harry let out an amused snort, "Hermione? You're nearly eight. You got _plenty_ of time to worry about that later. Come on, let's go downstairs and see if there's any lunch ready."

He sprung off the bed and spun around to drag her off as well. She waved off his grabby hands, slid off the bed and followed him out the room.

* * *

_**Currently…** _

As Harry descended the stairs, he took the corner a bit fast and slid past the entrance on his sock-covered feet and thudded into the wall. Harry swaggered back and brushed the hair out of his face, "I meant to do that. Gotta look cool, ya know."

The sounds of adults snorting in derision were heard coming from the kitchen. Inside, Uncles Severus, Lily, James and Remus obviously had been listening in from the moment that Harry collided with the wall.

"Harry, I think you've been hanging around Padfoot too much." Remus quipped. Severus nodded and took another bite of his porridge.

"Looking forward to the first day of real school, Harry?"

Harry nodded as he grabbed a bowl and filled it with a scoop of porridge and began selecting his own fruit, "Yup, I can't wait to see the look on Hermione's face when she gets to use magic for the first time."

Lily leant back in her chair and laid her hand on her husband's arm, "They grow up so fast, don't they James?"

James brushed an imaginary tear from his eye, "That's my baby boy."

Harry just rolled his eyes at the antics of the adults.

* * *

**Winchester Academy for Gifted Students**

Harry arrived in true male Potter fashion when exiting from the Floo. He practically flew out of the fireplace and skidded along on his knees until he collided with the opposite wall. When he climbed to his feet, he heard applause coming from the doorway. Hermione stood there slowly clapping her hands, along with her parents as well as an administrator from the school.

And in true Potter fashion, Harry bowed to the crowd and thanked them for the warm greetings, "Thank you everyone! As you can see, I meant to do that. Repeat performances every day from eight am to noon."

Lily emerged and heard Harry's speech. _"Why couldn't I've had a daughter?"_ she muttered.

* * *

The kids were led into their homeroom where they found Dudley, Neville and a couple of their other friends already waiting for them. Dudley ambled over and asked what the score was for Harry's arrival.

"I think I would give it a three," commented Hermione, "There was definite room for improvement."

Harry let out an indignant squeal, " _Improvement?_ Me? I'll have you know that landing was perfect!"

Neville rolled his eyes, "Did you at least land on your knees this time?"

Harry puffed up in pride, "I did and also put a bit of a spin in the last couple of feet so I was facing the door!"

Lily leant down and gave her son a kiss on the cheek, "With talents like that, maybe we ought to contract you out to the circus. What do you think about that?" Harry just scoffed in defiance and tried to push her away.

She giggled and pulled him in closer, "I think that's a good idea, let's just skip educating you and let you spend your days swinging around like the monkeys." She continued to make kissy noises to the amusement of the other kids.

"Mu-uum! You're embarrassing me! Dad, help! She's burying me in mum kisses!"

James tapped his wife on the shoulder, "That's enough, Lils. You're overdoing it and besides, it's my turn!" He grabbed his son and began giving him nougies on top of his head before releasing him. Harry just huffed and glared at his parents before leading his laughing friends off to the playground.

* * *

_**During their first class…** _

Hermione Granger was in educational paradise! There was so much to learn and discover that she wondered at times if there was going to be enough time between now and graduation to cover it all. Granted, she didn't really have anything else to compare magical education to regular but even she was pretty sure that regular education wouldn't have pencil cases floating past whenever someone got emotional about not understanding the work.

Their first subject that they were tasked in learning was how to draw out their letters to form words. At this moment, Hermione was again really upset with her parents for giving her such a long and difficult name to write. She glanced over at Harry's work and spotted him already three lines further down than what she was at. It frustrated her that she wasn't able to keep up with the others.

Harry must have sensed his friend's frustration level because he put down his pencil and without even looking over, took her left hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze. After the writing lesson was over, the teacher handed out copied sheets of their homework for them to put into their folders to take home with them at the end of the day.

"Okay, class! What I want you to do now is to take out the green folders. The color green is what we will use to identify our Science classwork." The teacher explained before moving on.

* * *

_**At lunch time…** _

Harry and his friends were sitting at the cafeteria tables eating their lunch and jabbering away at what they'd gone over in class so far. Neville was enthusiastic about the upcoming time that would be spent outdoors in the school's garden, Dudley was looking forward to gym class, which surprised Harry as he knew that his cousin only did something physical if said something was chasing him.

"Why are you so interested in gym class? You hate moving unless it's to go from your bedroom to the kitchen."

"Hardy-har-har, doofus. Dad said that if I ever want to be able to fly on a broom, I got to keep my weight down and get more fit."

Hermione looked puzzled at that, "But you're already in shape! I mean, you're not fat or anything."

Dudley gestured dismissively with his half-eaten chicken leg, "I guess so. Whatever…I'm not that big and besides, I've seen heavier kids on them but if it makes Dad happier, then I'll do it."

They continued eating their lunch and discussing future classes they were looking forward to. Harry really wanted to get started on the brewing in Potions class.

"I've done some stuff with Uncle Severus at home and have even brewed a couple of prank potions. I can't wait to get started here too."

Neville chuckled and muttered that he was now worried for the safety of the school as he looked over at Hermione, "What about you, Hermione? Which class are you looking forward to?"

Hermione glanced down at her turkey sandwich and shrugged, "I don't know, maybe our math or history classes."

They boys nodded understandingly, "That would be cool if we each had our own class that we were tops in. Everyone coming to us for help with their homework. We'd rule the school within a week!" Neville proudly declared with a puffed up chest. This caused the others to giggle at his display.

* * *

Back in class, Hermione was busy learning how to identify the different coins used in the non-magical world and how to apply them to the problems on the worksheet. Her ears picked up the sound of someone, probably Harry, busily munching away on something. A quick glance to her left spotted her best friend eating the jellybeans that were being used for the math problems.

"Harry!" she stage-whispered in surprise, "You're not supposed to eat those! Those are for the math problems."

Harry looked at her in puzzlement, his cheeks puffed up with jellybean mash. He swallowed uncertainly and looked down at his worksheet. His face pinked with embarrassment as he raised his hand to get the teacher's attention.

Hermione just growled softly and shook her head in exasperation as she looked towards the ceiling for divine assistance.

* * *

After school, the kids took the floo back to Potter Manor; Harry made his usual spectacular crash landing.

"I seriously think I ought to install some sort of crash webbing to slow you down as you come out of the floo, Harry. This is getting embarrassing." His mother remarked from where she was leaning against the doorframe. She leant down and helped her son up from the floor.

Harry pushed his messy hair out of his face, "But it looks cool when I get the landing just right!" Lily glared half-heartedly at him in response and shook her head slowly in derision.

Harry placed his backpack down in a corner at the base of the stairs and headed into the kitchen to get an afternoon snack. He plopped down in a chair and began munching away at the sliced apples and oranges on the plate. He got his mother's attention and grinned at her, his mouth showing the bottom of the orange peel.

"Oh, yes. Very attractive, Harry. It's a wonder how Hermione resists your charm so well," Lily drawled to the giggles from the girl in question.

Sirius came padding in wearing nothing but a pair of cutoff jean shorts and sandals. He mussed up Harry's already messy hair and smirked at Lily who was giving him the stink-eye.

"Go put some clothes on, Padfoot! The children don't need to see you like this."

"Awww lighten up, Lils! There's nothing they probably haven't seen before."

Lily made the motion like she was going to pull out her wand and dispense with angry mother discipline. Sirius grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table and hightailed it out of the room to the sounds of Harry and Hermione giggling at the display.

* * *

Their snack eaten, the two kids grabbed their backpacks and made their way up to Harry's room to do their homework. Harry sprawled out on his bed as he worked on the handful of math word problems while Hermione was busy with identifying different words based on their vowel letters.

_**"Hey, Harry?"** _

Harry looked up from his work in surprise; Hermione never started off a conversation in Parseltongue before.

_**"Yeah?"** _

" _ **Have you completed the worksheet for the religious studies class?"**_

His face scrunched up in thought before he rolled over and dug through his backpack. He rifled through the folders before he found the right page and pulled it out.

" _ **No, I haven't gotten to it yet. I'm still working on the math word problems."**_

Their conversation continued for a few moments as Hermione started quizzing him on what they'd learned that day. Lily was listening, or at least trying to, from the doorway. James appeared at her side and wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders.

"Should I be worried that they're speaking Parseltongue?" she quietly mused out loud.

James briefly shook his head and kissed her behind her left ear, "Nah, it'll be fine. As long as no one outside our two families find out, it'll be our little secret."

Lily slowly nodded and leant into her husband's embrace, "Any new word as to the whereabouts of Dumbledore?"

James huffed, "Not a damn thing. It's like he dropped off the face of the planet. Come on, let's leave them in peace and go down to the living room for our own snuggling time." He slowly moved away and took her hand to lead her on. She gave a sly wiggle of her hips and knowing smile.

* * *

_**At an undisclosed location…** _

Peter Pettigrew had long since gotten past his woes of his position in life. At first, he'd been in awe of James, Sirius, Severus and Remus. He'd been in love with the vitality that was Lily Evans and even had a brief notion of respect for Petunia Evans. Then he'd had a falling out with his old friends during their seventh year over what amounted to petty childish things. He'd slipped over to the Dark and joined up with the Death Eaters for a while until their demise at the hands of the DMLE and Unspeakables.

Now, he had a different Master; his old headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Peter huffed to himself in internal exasperation at his choices of late. True, Dumbledore never punished him with a Cruciatus whenever he made a mistake or said the wrong thing but there were other punishments that Dumbledore gave out that were, in Peter's mind, so much worse.

Peter's job as of late was the tending to the future generation of Albus Dumbledore's Grand Army of the Light. It was Peter's responsibility to make sure they were fed and cared for. Oh, how he hated doing it…

_'Sometimes, I think it would be more merciful to smother them in their sleep as opposed to what the Headmaster intends for them.'_

As Peter shuffled his way down the hallway where the children's dorms were, he could occasionally hear a snuffle or faint crying coming from behind the closed doors. Albus' training regime was brutal and unforgiving. Endless physical training sometimes to the point where the children were unable to move because of the pain. Exhausting mental training as they were routinely pushed to their limits and beyond. Broken bones, torn ligaments and other physical injuries were common yet were only given the mere basic of medical treatments. Master Dumbledore had declared that it would only 'coddle them' to heal them further.

Classes in all manner of topics from deportment of various social classes, mathematics far above what other children their age had to learn, theory of and actual spell casting, infiltration, spying and even assassination drills were covered, along with many other topics that were drummed into their fragile minds. They also had to be on their guard 24 hours a day as they never knew when Master Dumbledore would spring a surprise test on the group. If one failed, they were all punished…

They were the vanguard to the New World Order according to the Greater Good as seen by Albus Dumbledore. Failure was _not_ an option…

* * *

When he returned to his Master's study, he paused at the doorway mindful of disturbing his great and glorious leader. Despite it being nearly five years since that ill-fated attempt at immortality with that failed ritual, Peter still got the shivers of revulsion whenever he had to look at what remained of the man that was Albus Dumbledore.

Long gone was the flowing white beard and the eyes that looked at you in a grandfatherly way. In its place was now a ravaged and scarred visage that resembled a gnarled block of wood that was carved by someone who only had a passing knowledge as to what the human face should look like. Dumbledore's body was permanently hunched over and resembled the famed and storied 'Hunchback of Notre Dame.' The slow pacing walk that spoke of deep introspection had given over to shuffling limp as the elder man moved with great difficulty over to a bookshelf. His voice used to be powerful and inspiring but was now a grating and gravely growl as he attempted to reach for a large tome on the shelf.

' _He must be using a glamour when he addresses others. Not that he'd ever let me attend one of his meetings. I seriously doubt that Master would ever allow anyone other than me to see him as he truly is. Wonderful…'_ Peter mused.

Albus finally noticed Peter standing nervously in the doorway and pointed imperiously to the desired book. Peter rushed over and retrieved the book and reverently placed it on an available pedestal. With a quelling look, Albus dismissed his minion to continue with his own work as he opened the book to look up some esoteric topic.

"Master, the children are all abed and most are already asleep. Will there be anything else you wish of me for tonight?"

Albus paused in his reading before shaking his head negatively, "No, Mr. Pettigrew. That will be all. Leave me, I do not wish to be disturbed."

Peter bowed before his master and hightailed it out of the library.

* * *

**Monday 8 September 1986**

Petunia was in her office going over the latest reports from the classes being held to help the magically raised blend in properly in the non-magical world. The classes were always jam-packed and wildly popular. It amused her to no end when she thought about how much easier things would be if the Muggle Studies class at Hogwarts was updated already. Despite her many attempts, the Hogwarts Board of Directors were dragging their feet to implement the necessary changes.

'I think it may get to the point where I or Minerva will need to kidnap those idiots and drop them down in some muggle neighborhood with the simple instructions to get home without using magic. I doubt they'd last the night!'

She let out a low groan and removed her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose in frustration. There was a knock at her door and when she answered it, she was surprised to see Vernon standing there holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Hey there. I was wondering if your boss would allow you to have the afternoon off with her loving and wonderful husband?"

She scrunched up her nose cutely and laughed lightly, "I think my boss would whole-heartedly approve of such action, Mr. Dursley." She leant over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, "Let me get my jacket and we can get going."

* * *

They took the lift up to the Atrium and headed out in one of the public floos to _The_ _Leaky Cauldron._ They took an empty table and ordered lunch from the waitress. When their drinks arrived, Petunia took a sip and leant back in her chair.

"Vernon? How did you get into the Ministry? You couldn't have used the floo." She questioned curiously.

Vernon nodded as he swallowed a gulp of his tea, "I used the visitor's entrance. I've wanted to ride that phone booth for a while now and figured, 'Why not?'"

Their conversation meandered over various topics, pausing only when the food arrived then picking back up interspersed between bites.

"So how's work going? Any word on that big sales deal you've been hinting at?" Petunia inquired.

Vernon dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, "No word yet, I'm still hopeful."

* * *

As they were eating, the muggle side door opened up and a bewildered looking man and woman stumbled in. The pub went silent as both sides looked at each other in puzzlement and a bit of fear. Petunia wiped her mouth and huffed at the tense stalemate that was developing in front of her.

Rising to her feet, she made her way over to the clearly muggle couple and held out her hand.

"Hi there, were you trying to get into the Alley?"

"Um, yes? My daughter wrote us and said that she needed some kind of…thing from some place called 'Quality Quidditch'?" the man nervously replied, "I'm not sure as to how to get there though."

Petunia smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry about the others here, they're just not used to seeing non-magical people entering 'their' establishment." She rolled her eyes and gestured to the backdoor, "Follow me and I'll get you headed in the right direction. My name's Petunia."

"I'm George and this is my wife, Anna." Anna shyly smiled back.

Petunia smiled in response, "So what year and House is your daughter in?"

"She's a first year in Slytherin, I think is what she wrote us," Anna remarked, "I was surprised that she got into that one because I read that it was the place the devious, ambitious and…and purebloods, I think, always got sorted to."

Petunia nodded understandingly, "It used to be that way but since the fall of the last idiot who tried to shape the world in his demented image, things have changed. Hogwarts has been steadily working to remodel Slytherin House back to its original ideals." She paused as she pulled her wand and activated the portal to the Alley, "There you go, just follow this road and Quality Quidditch will be halfway up on the right hand side. If you come across Gringott's Bank, you've gone too far."

George and Anna thanked Petunia for her help and departed into the Alley.

* * *

**Friday 19 September 1986 Winchester Academy for Gifted Students**

Hermione bounced into her homeroom and let out a happy giggle at the sight of Harry trying in vain to hide her birthday present under his desk. The attempt was valiant, she had to admit but the practicality of trying to shove a large book into a tiny desk cubby was…amusing.

"Harry…" she giggled again at him. Harry merely went pink in embarrassment and pulled out the gift and handed it off to her.

She tore off the paper and gasped at the sight of the hand tooled, dark orange-ish leather journal. Gold lettering proclaimed it to be 'Hermione's Journal of Awesomeness.' The pages were crisp and ready to be filled with her musings, drawings, pictures and other bits that she would find in her daily travels.

She squealed happily and launched herself into his arms and peppered his cheek with little kisses. The other children in the room made all sorts of noises ranging from the 'aww's' from the girls to the 'eww's' from the boys. Their teacher clapped lightly before admonishing everyone to take their seats.

* * *

At lunch, Hermione was surrounded by her friends as they wished her a happy birthday. There were presents from everyone, ranging from a cutting of a delicate plant (Neville), a book on dinosaurs (Dudley) to brightly colored toys and bags of sweets from the rest. She profusely thanked everyone as her parents had taught her before sharing the sweets with everyone.

"So what did you get for Hermione, Harry? I don't remember seeing you giving her anything," Susan Bones commented.

"He gave it to me when we were in class. Here, it's a journal." Hermione handed over the gift from Harry. Everyone marveled at its quality and the writing on the cover.

"Wow, Harry! That's one fine gift you got for her."

Harry shrugged, "I was out shopping with my dad and I saw it in the window of Scribbulus and thought, 'Hermione would like that.' I'm glad I got it for her, the look on her face made it worth every Knut."

Hermione scrunched her nose up and wiggled her face at her best friend.


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning, Harry snuck out of his room earlier than normal and completely on his own volition. His destination was the downstairs laboratory where some ingredients he needed for his latest prank potion lay. When he reached the door, he disabled the security charms easily enough and slowly opened the door. What he failed to notice was a recent addition…

Lily had been adamant about adding modern muggle technology within the house as she didn't want her son growing up without understanding and appreciating electricity, air conditioning and other modern conveniences like she'd had growing up. One feature that Severus had latched onto was that of a light beam door security setup. The principle was simple as was the equipment needed. As most wizards were muggle technology blind, no one would think to examine the doorway for anything out of the 'ordinary.'

* * *

Severus awoke to the insistent beeping that was alerting him to the intrusion to the laboratory downstairs and groaned. _'Blasted kid. Why couldn't he have waited for the weekend? Oh, wait…it is the weekend.'_ He dragged himself out of bed and wrapped his robe around his waist and trudged out of his room.

"He better have a damn good reason for being up this early," he grumbled to an empty hallway.

When he arrived to the laboratory, he easily spotted Harry digging through the ingredients cabinet and watched as the boy began to get setup to brew. With a quirked eyebrow, he silently watched Harry's process of creating…whatever the hell it was. He didn't recognize any of the vapor characteristics, which didn't bode well for anyone's safety or wellbeing.

* * *

Despite how quiet Severus was trying to be, Harry knew that his uncle was watching him from the doorway. Uncle Severus just had a presence about him that was hard to dismiss. He continued to prepare his ingredients based on the instructions and made a couple of notes in the margins of his journal. _'With any luck, this potion will be my greatest achievement! Hehe, it'll make the victim glow in the dark like a nightlight!'_ he gloated internally.

Harry finished finely slicing the sunflower petals and began adding them to the cauldron one slice at a time while stirring in a counter-clockwise direction. The instructions called for one ounce of petals for a medium glow but Harry wanted something brighter. Shrugging a shoulder, he figured that adding _two_ ounces shouldn't hurt. He reached for the second pile when an adult male hand grabbed ahold of his wrist, stopping the action.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you, Harry," Severus intoned, "You are trying to increase the brightness, yes?"

Harry gulped, "Yes…yes, Uncle Severus."

Severus shook his head minutely, "It was a good thought but it would've resulted in a poor potion if not done something dangerous. Might I recommend adding a pinch of phosphorous powder?" He pulled down the requisite container and handed it to Harry.

Harry frowned as he tried to puzzle out how much he would need. He quizzically glanced up at Severus who nodded towards the reaction tables that were sitting next to Harry's elbow. Harry flipped through it and found the correct chart, looked up the proper listing and dosed out the correct amount of phosphorous.

While the potion was simmering, Harry began cleaning up the mess that had been made while Severus oversaw his efforts.

"May I ask why and what you hope to accomplish with making this potion so early on a weekend when all you had to do was ask me when I got up?"

Harry's head drooped in mild embarrassment, "I wanted to create a prank potion and got too excited to wait."

"Mm-hmm. What does this prank potion do to the recipient?"

"Makes them glow in the dark."

Severus just stared in disbelief at his pseudo-nephew, "It does _what?_ "

"Glow in the dark. You know, like one of those posters I have in my room?"

Severus snorted to himself, "And who was your intended target for said potion?"

Harry shrugged, "I hadn't decided yet. Probably Dad or Uncle Sirius, maybe Uncle Remus."

Severus shook his head, "As long as it's someone within the family, I don't think it'd be a problem."

"Does that include Dudley?" Harry asked hopefully.

Severus bobbled his head and pursed his lips a bit, "I'll think about it. It depends on how well things go with your first targets. Don't forget, a child's dose is tricky most of the time without knowing specifics about their characteristics. Where's your journal?"

Harry handed it over to him and Severus made some notations on a page.

"For your punishment for waking me up so bloody early, you will need to read this book and answer the questions I have written down."

Harry made a face at getting punishment but Severus waggled his finger at the boy, "Don't give me that look. It's your own fault that you got up so early when you didn't need to, you woke me up when you shouldn't have and trying to alter a recipe when you don't know the proper procedures. Now finish up there and go decant your cauldron."

* * *

Dudley showed up just as breakfast was getting under way. He quietly slipped into an empty chair and plastered a 'sincere' look on his face that would've fooled no one. Lily turned around to offload some bacon that the elves had finished cooking when she spotted her nephew.

"Dudley?" she said frowning in puzzlement, "when did you get here and how?"

"Just a moment ago and through the floo."

An eyebrow rose in question, "That's not possible. You don't have any magic to make the floo work for you."

Dudley lifted a necklace pendant from where it lay under his shirt and showed it to his aunt, "Mum made this a couple of days ago. She says it's something that would allow me to access the floo even though I don't have magic."

Lily was surprised and yet not. Her sister was always coming up with some sort of revolutionary device, case in point were the communication mirrors. Her surprise lay in the fact that Petunia hadn't said anything about it to her. This bore a new need to seek out her elder sister.

Slowly and silently nodding while chewing on the inside of her cheek, Lily grabbed an extra plate and filled it with some breakfast foods for Dudley.

"Excuse me, I need to go call my sister. When you're done, go find Harry and play for a while."

The mirror call between the Evans' girls wasn't anything bad to be honest. Lily just wanted the full details behind the pendant. Petunia apologized for not telling Lily sooner as she had gotten swamped with work and had completely forgotten about them.

* * *

Dudley found Harry just as the second one was descending the stairs in search of breakfast. Once his cousin had finished eating, Dudley had tried to get his cousin to take him flying but found out that Harry'd been grounded for breaking into the family's potion laboratory early that morning.

"I got some new board games instead, if you're interested," Harry said placatingly.

"Yeah?"

Harry opened up his cupboard and dug around inside. He emerged carrying a stack of boxes, "Let's see… I've got Scrabble, Monopoly, Trouble, Sorry and a pack of cards called 'Uno.'"

Dudley looked over the selection and decided to try out the game of Trouble.

After a couple of rounds, they switched to one of the other games but it was evident that they were getting bored of being indoors.

Dudley sat up, leant back against the sofa and groaned, "There's got to be something else we could do. This is getting kind of boring."

Harry scrubbed his face with his hands, "I think that's the point of being grounded."

Dudley lazily looked over at his cousin, "What about going over to Uncle Sirius' workshop?" Harry snorted in derision.

"Yeah, right. That's even more dangerous than the laboratory. Wanna call Hermione and see if she can come over?"

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

The two boys found Lily in her study quietly reading a book and asked her if being grounded meant that he couldn't have a couple of friends over. She closed the book slowly and gazed at the two of them over the rim of her reading glasses.

After a moment she relented, "It depends. Who was it that you wanted to ask?"

Harry shrugged a shoulder, "I was thinking of Hermione and perhaps Neville."

Lily gave her son another searching look before giving her acceptance, "If they're available then yes, you may have them over."

Harry beamed with happiness as he and Dudley tore out of the room and headed off to the Floo room.

Lily shook her head in bemusement as the boys left. _'Figures. He picked the two children least likely to want to do anything flight related."_

* * *

Hermione exited the Floo and dusted herself off before wrapping her arms around Harry and giving him an excited hug. Neville had unfortunately been unable to come over so it would be just the three of them today.

"Thanks for inviting me, Harry," she chirped, "Things were getting too quiet at home. Both mum and dad are working and I had no one to play with."

Dudley was surprised at this, "Your parents leave you at home alone? At your age?"

She nodded proudly, "Yeah, I'm apparently mature enough to be left alone as long as I don't go anywhere except the backyard without telling them."

"Cool," Harry said as he extricated himself from her embrace, "Come on, let's go see what sort of adventure we can get into!"

"What did you have in mind? I was hoping we could explore the greenhouses and maybe find some sort of mysterious plants we haven't seen before." She mused out loud.

"Well, let's go find out. I know that Uncle Severus got a shipment of some sort of waving tentacle plants just yesterday."

* * *

They headed out of the manor and over the pathway towards the greenhouses. Hermione had asked Harry why and what it was that had gotten him grounded. Harry embarrassingly replied that he'd broken into the family's laboratory with the intent on creating a prank potion but had gotten caught.

"Harry." Hermione drawled, "You silly boy. You should've known that he would've had some sort of security in place."

"I know that _now_ but at the time, I thought it was just the usual charms."

They did get to see the 'waving tentacle plants' but only under the watchful eye of Severus who was in there examining and tending to the recent shipment. According to his words of warning, a Venomous Tentacula was nothing to be dismissed lightly.

"Like their name suggests, it's an extremely dangerous and slightly sentient plant. I don't want to find out that you've been anywhere near this or the other in this particular greenhouse without supervision or we will be taking what's left of you to Saint Mungo's in a tiny box. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" All three promised.

"Now, if you want to help me I have some pruning that needs to be done to a couple of the wand wood worthy trees. You can help by distracting the bowtruckles that will inevitably try to interfere."

Severus led the group over to the grove of trees that needed work and handed each a small bag of squirming wood lice. He explained that bowtruckles loved to eat them and showed them all how to carefully handle the diminutive creatures.

"Uncle Severus?" Hermione began, "Why do you do this? I thought you were only interested in making potions?"

"While true, we do not have anyone else that is qualified to tend to the greenhouses nor the grounds and its inhabitants. As such, it falls to me as two aspects of potion making is the care of magical creatures and herbology."

Dudley raised his hand, "What will you be doing with the branches you prune from the trees?"

"I have a contract with Garrick Ollivander to provide wood for his wand making business. This grove of trees produces some of the finest grain wood blanks and is also some of the rarest trees in England."

They worked in relative silence for a while, every now and then a gasp or slight shriek of surprise whenever the bowtruckles would get away from the children. Severus continued his lessons on the proper care and identification of the trees, especially the grove of Truro Pear trees. These were the rarest of the rare in England, supposedly only found in Cornwall.

"It's so pretty here," Hermione commented at one point during a break while Severus sent the latest batch of wood blanks back to the manor, "I wish I could live here all the time."

Harry chuckled, "It's not like we don't have enough rooms. I bet you could convince mum to let you have your own like Dudley does." Hermione cocked an eyebrow in thought.

They lay back on the grassy hill and pointed out the different shapes of the clouds as they passed overhead.

* * *

An unexpected rain shower forced the kids back inside where they decided to raid the kitchen for a snack. Harry spoke with the Head Kitchen Elf and soon they were given a bowl of diced fruit and yogurt. Dudley was surprised by this and remarked that it was unusually healthy as compared to what his cousin would've normally asked for.

Harry shrugged and gestured with his fork, "I guess I'm growing up a bit? I dunno, it does make for an interesting change of pace. Besides, it's fun to see the looks on mum and dad's faces when they go to scold us for eating junk only to find out that it's healthy."

Dudley scoffed, "I knew there had to be a good reason."

"So what else did you want to do, Harry?" Hermione interjected, "Got any games we could play?"

"Yeah, a bunch of them." He ran through his list of potential games.

"Scrabble sounds like fun. We could even make up words." She giggled excitedly.

Harry ran back up to his room and pulled out the appropriate box and returned to the kitchen table.

"I have two versions here, one is the muggle version; the other is a runic version."

"Any difference in how to play?" Dudley asked.

"Not really, you have to create a plausible array with the runic version though. There's a list of acceptable ones here. I think Uncle Remus put this together."

Hermione made a sort of shrug with her facial expression, "Why not, it's not like we have anything else we can do while it's raining."

* * *

The runic Scrabble game commenced and despite it being slow going at first, the trio of kids got into it. The magic of the game made the proper arrays glow green every time they put together the right sequence and produced a miniature effect to showcase their attempts. There was much laughter and yelps from each as they tried to bluff their way through the craziest of attempts.

James stuck his head in to see what was causing the commotion and smiled to himself as he saw his son playing with his cousin and best friend. He did frown a bit when he saw what looked like a bowl of melting ice cream but didn't interfere. He left the trio to what they were doing and headed back to where Lily was still reading in the study.

"Our son seems to have gotten into the ice cream." He remarked off-handedly to his wife.

Lily looked up in concern then called for one of the kitchen elves, "Holly? Did Harry get into the ice cream?"

Holly shook her head, "No, Mistress. Young master and his friends asked for a bowl of diced fruits and yogurt."

Lily sighed in relief and dismissed the elf, "Well, that'll teach you for assuming, James." James just looked abashed at the mild rebuke. "So what was all the commotion in the kitchen?"

"Kids are playing that runic Scrabble game that Remus put together. They looked like they were having the time of their lives." Lily gave a soft 'aww' before lifting her feet so her husband could join her on the couch.

* * *

The Dursleys and Potters got together the next weekend to hold one of their usual weekend meetings and to just generally catch up on whatever was going on in their lives. Petunia had commented that she was going to be looking for an assistant to handle the low-level overload work that continuously piled up. Lily asked what sort of things her sister considered 'low-level.'

"Requisitions for supplies, inquiries to the next training seminar, fielding the usual mindless idiotic chatter that goes on between departments, that sort of thing. Why? You interesting in working with me?"

"I just might. Harry's getting to the age where he doesn't need me hovering over him every moment of the day and there are the elves that do most of the work around the manor."

"Well, I'll send you an application then. Don't go supposing that you're an automatic shoe-in just because you're family. I've seen that happen way too many times in the other departments and frankly, I'm not at all surprised that things just never work out there."

Vernon handed her a glass of wine, "Got any good gossip?"

Petunia snorted, "Tons. It's all really annoying though. You have completely inept members of various departments and families with their different personalities and methods of getting things done in frankly the most inefficient way possible. It's like watching one of those soap operas on the telly."

"Do they try to interfere with your department's operations?" Severus interjected as he reached for more potato crisps.

Petunia sneered a bit in disgust, "Not as such. The Muggle Liaison Department will probably forever be the one department that none of the others will ever try to take over. After all, every other aspect of the Ministry is governed by the purebloods and while things _have_ calmed down since the fall of the Dark Idiot, there's still enough of blood prejudice that no one wants my job which is fine with me."

The conversations continued to flow; such as Vernon's announcement that he was being looked into for a possible promotion to Senior Vice President of Sales. Severus announced that the pill form of Wolfsbane was going to be ready by next month to surprise from Remus.

"I thought that it wasn't going to be available until spring?"

Severus took a sip of his drink, "We found a better supplier in the muggle world. They're based in London near Heathrow, which makes shipping that much easier."

The discussion between the two evolved into whether or not it would be a good idea to start bringing in werewolf children to Winchester and potentially Hogwarts. Remus was naturally all for it though did admit caution was needed. They discussed what sort of requirements would be needed to insure a smooth transition.

* * *

While the adults were yakking on about grown-up stuff, Harry was busy holding court with his cousin and their friends. He'd had finally gotten done with his grounding and took advantage of the opportunity to go flying. Because of the runic necklace that Petunia had devised for Dudley to use the Floo, the kids tried it on the brooms to see if he could use them without the need for a magical child to take him up. To their delight, it worked; granted the charm didn't allow for great heights or speeds but it was enough that Dudley was enjoying himself immensely.

The boys were in the middle of playing a modified version of Quidditch while Hermione and the girls, Susan and Hannah along with Daphne Greengrass, a friend of Susan's and the daughter of an influential Wizengamot member were busy discussing the latest in all that would interest girls of their age.

Harry pulled to a stop slightly overhead, "Hey, Hermione! Wanna go for a spin?"

Hermione primly placed her napkin down on the table and shook her head, "Not on your life, Potter! I've been watching how you fly and there's no way in the world you're going to get me up there with you. If anything, I'd rather fly with Dudley! He at least knows how to fly straight and level."

Harry just grinned, "That's not the only thing he's capable of doing. You've not seen him do any tricks 'cause we just ate. Wait until later!" He finished by zooming off back to the aerial 'combat' that was still going on.

Hermione dropped her eyes to look at the other girls and shook her head in exasperation, " _Boys…"_

* * *

**Wednesday 8 October 1986**

October slid around and brought with it the slowly dropping temperatures and a hint of the crispness normally associated with the opening of the holiday season. An unseasonable chilly morning saw Harry and Hermione bundled up and waiting for their teacher to bring them indoors to start another day of school.

"I've heard that today we're going to be starting a new potion in class," Hermione stated, "I hope it's something good." Harry nodded as he rubbed his hands together. "Oh, did you ever finish that prank potion you mentioned a couple of weeks ago? You know, the one you got into trouble over?"

Harry grinned slyly, "Yup, I even got some with me right now." He pulled a small vial from his hip pouch, a gift for his last birthday from Severus.

She took it from him and held it up to the light to examine the contents, "What does this do again?"

"Makes the victim glow in the dark."

Hermione's eyes widened, "Really? That's actually pretty good. How'd you come up with an idea like that? Where'd you find the recipe?"

"I was digging around one of Dad's pranking journals, the ones that aren't behind glass, and came across it. It looked easy enough to do; it only had a couple of ingredients that were touchy so I knew right off that I'd need the laboratory stash."

"So who's your first victim?" she inquired curiously as she handed back the vial.

"Dunno, probably whoever annoys me the most." Harry replied as he slipped it back into his hip pouch.

* * *

The potion that the class was going to make wasn't as exciting as the prank potion but it was October related. The teacher wrote out the instructions on the board for a simple air freshener and made sure that everyone had copied it down in their journals correctly before opening the ingredients cabinet and letting them get to it.

Harry had retrieved the ingredients while his lab partner, Hermione was busy preparing the cauldron and other tools needed. He was returning to their desk when he accidentally bumped into one of the other kids which caused one of the bottles of distilled Stinksap to drop and break open. The resulting stench caused nearly everyone to gag and rush to cover their noses and mouths. In their haste, several others dropped what they were holding, creating an ever bigger and noxious mess on the floor.

Their teacher waded into the chaos and ushered everyone out of the class while one of the school's elves popped in to handle the clean-up. Harry was contrite in his apology for starting everything and was tearful about being blamed.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," his teacher soothed, "It was an accident and I don't blame you for what happened. Just try to be more careful in the future, okay?" He sniffed and nodded his head as he wiped at his tears.

When they were cleared to return, Harry took extra care to not bump into anyone. Hermione gave his a comforting hug and they returned to making their assigned potion. When they were finished, both children assisted the other in cleaning up their tools and cauldron before bottling up their brew. It had a pleasing yet spicy scent to it and they hoped that it would earn them points. The other half of their assignment was to write an essay on what they did, any mistakes that they noticed and what they would do differently.

"Harry, you should be more careful on how you write. I don't think anyone could read that." Hermione admonished.

Harry glanced down at the chicken scratch he called 'writing,' "I know, this is just my notes. Mum says to write things down as I think of them then go back and make them leggy bull."

Their teacher overheard him and corrected his pronunciation of 'legible.' He thanked her and continued, "She says that this is the best way to organize the 'chaos that is my mind' whatever that means."

Hermione giggled at him and the teacher smirked. _'Chaotic mind, indeed!'_


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is folks. The long awaited chapter of 'The Fall From Grace: The Madness of Albus Dumbledore.' This is where the Darkness starts. I had nightmares from the research... the depths of depravity humans can drop to is utterly horrifying.

_**Flashback 1976 After Albus had slipped from the custody of the Aurors following his conviction of the trials.** _

' _Blasted Wizengamot! Those fools have no idea as to what they tried to do! Sheep, the lot of them. I can't believe they convicted me for something that needed to be done to reshape the world into a more prosperous and beneficial place. I need a place to hide and lay low for a while until I can regroup and recover.'_

That was just some of the more lucid and clear thoughts running through Albus' mind over the next couple of days after his escape. The mere thought of his potential incarceration in Azkaban was enough to give him the shivers. He vowed then and there that if he ever became cornered with no chance of escape, he'd take down as many people as he could.

He took refuge in an abandoned building while he ruminated on his options. During his many years, Albus had built up a sort of secret network of safe houses and bank accounts to be used in case of the unthinkable happened. _'I just never believed that it would happen so soon or to me.'_ One of the safe houses he remembered was a lovely little cottage in one of the campgrounds in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. He consulted his memory and apparated over.

He cautiously approached the front door and cast some wandless detection spells only to find the structure just as he expected it. When he entered, it was slightly dusty but not unmanageable. He poked around and discovered that the kitchen was empty of anything perishable but did have some long-term 'survival' rations.

Shrugging his shoulders in defeat, he opened up one of the tins and rummaged around in the drawers in search of a fork. He quietly munched on his meager meal while contemplating what he needed to do next.

"I think the first order of business is to see about acquiring an elf to take care of this place and to provide food. I won't last very long on tins of Vienna sausages," he mused out loud to himself. Still clutching the tin and fork, he continued his examination of the cottage and discovered a stash of paper and pencils along with a change of clothes in the muggle style.

Albus grimaced at the thought of wearing such unstylish muggle clothing but needs must, he supposed. "I'll need to make some changes to my appearance, I have to suspect that the Ministry will be looking for me and it wouldn't do to let word slip that an elderly man with a huge beard and colorful robes is wandering around town."

* * *

It amazed him as to how out of touch he was to the wider world. He really had no clue as to where to go to acquire an elf. Albus stressed over making an appearance in Diagon Alley to find out where he could get one. As time wore on, he quickly realized that he'd have to buckle down and get the supplies himself. To that end, he apparated to a random small town and went in search of a grocery store.

An hour later, a nondescript elderly man wandered into a local grocery store with a puzzled expression on his face. The store manager noticed the man's arrival and made his way over.

"Hello, sir. Is there something I can help you find?"

Albus smiled thinly at the shopkeeper, "Yes, it's been many years since I've had the need to do my own shopping so I'm afraid that I'm a bit out of my element here. Would you be so kind as to instruct me as to where everything is?"

"Certainly, sir. It's all rather simple; you will find signs hanging from above that give you a general idea as to what is stocked there. Very similar to the shelving in a library; the produce is in its own section off to the left while the boxed goods are in the middle aisles. The meat and dairy section is located in the back and the bakery section is off to the right."

Albus glanced around curiously, "How am I supposed to carry it all?"

The manager gestured towards the carts, "Just take one of these and when you are finished, I'll have one of my assistants help you out to your vehicle."

Despite the self-perceived indignity of having do something as mundane as _shopping_ , Albus was having fun in that grocery store. _'So much to choose from! How am I supposed to know the difference between catsup and ketchup? Is this what the muggles have to go through every time they come to an establishment like this? I may have to rethink about my plans about getting an elf. Perhaps a human servant might be better.'_

After finishing his selection of foods and other necessities, Albus made his way back up to the front of the store where he faced his next challenge, paying for what he chose. The look of consternation on his face as he tried to figure out the correct denomination of the paper currency was causing the store manager to chuckle internally. _'Poor fellow, it's probably been decades since he was last on his own.'_ He called for an assistant to help the old man out to his car.

Task finally completed, Albus wandlessly obliviated the manager and his assistant and apparated back to his lonely little cottage.

* * *

It was on a side trip to Blackpool that Albus discovered a potential minion of sorts. He was ambling along the famous Blackpool Pier when he spotted none other than Peter Pettigrew. The last time either had seen each other was back at Hogwarts and it was a mutual shock that neither one tried to reach for their wands; not that it would do Albus any good since he didn't have one.

Albus quietly sat down on an empty bench and waited patiently for the younger man to do the same.

"Mr. Pettigrew, I'm not here to take you into the authorities if that's what you're worried about."

Peter slowly sat down and observed the old man for a moment before speaking, "I know about your arrest and trial, H-Headmaster. I read the papers and I'm rather shocked by what they said. Was any of it true?"

Albus snorted in derision as he gazed over the water, "None of it, my boy. It was all propaganda and lies to smear my name. It is fortuitous that we should meet however; you see I'm in need of an assistant. I have plans in place that require my attention yet the basic and daily activities would need to be attended to by someone else."

Peter couldn't believe his luck yet was hesitant. "You want me to do the cleaning and cooking?"

Albus chuckled briefly and gently patted Peter's arm, "Just until we can secure a proper dwelling and get ourselves an elf or two. I'm currently living in a small cottage nearby and it wouldn't be too difficult for someone of your talents to maintain it."

The two sat there and quietly watched the muggles frolic in the surf, each lost in their personal musings.

Nodding his head after contemplating his lack of options, Peter remarked, "I accept, Headmaster. I have nothing going for me at this time anyhow."

Beaming, Albus stood up and held out his hand, "Excellent, my dear boy! Come, we have much to do if we are to accomplish our goals."

* * *

It was nearly six months later that Albus finally remembered a secured location in which to fortify his position and to lay in wait for the mindless sheep of the Wizengamot to come to their senses. It was an old manor and grounds that used to belong to the legendary Peverell family. The rumor had it that it was the family that inspired the story of the Deathly Hallows in Beedle's 'Tale of the Three Brothers.'

' _It's ironic that the new seat of my return to power and control shall be in the place where the Hallows were born.'_ He mused as he explored the manor. He found the master's suite and declared to no one in particular that this would be his room. He later found Peter examining the remains of the kitchen and mentioned that he'd found the master's bedroom.

Gesturing around at the moldering wreckage of the kitchen Peter commented that it was definitely going to need the skills of an elf or perhaps an army of elves to get things back into shape.

"I don't wish to question your motives, Headmaster but I'm curious as to what you hope to accomplish out here in the moors?"

Patting the younger man on the shoulder, "I will explain later, my boy. For now, let's just continue getting settled. I recommend that you secure a bedroom for yourself before nightfall."

* * *

It was late that night when Albus was dozing off to sleep that his mind started playing tricks on him. He'd always had an active imagination but now coupled with the stresses of the last few months and his self-perceived injustices; he began to see and hear things that shouldn't have been there. One of which was his old lover, Gellert Grindelwald.

"Hello, my old friend. Oh how the mighty have fallen, eh?" the apparition snarked, "Finally the madness within is reflected without."

Albus sat upright and stared in shock, "This cannot be possible! G-Gellert? Have you died and come to haunt me?"

The apparition smirked in condescension, "Nothing as mundane as death, my old friend. I'm merely a reflection of what your mind has been trying to tell you all these years. Your mind is telling you that your old method of influencing the hearts and minds of the children of the magical world through education and subtle manipulation didn't work out as you had planned."

Albus looked slightly abashed at that, "I did what I thought would work. I seem to recall your own methods didn't work out as you had planned either. At least I lasted longer before my efforts were discovered." He finished with a sneer.

Gellert buffed his nails against his shirt and examined them, "I'll grant you that, Albus. The question now is how to recover and grow from the setbacks you've experienced?"

Albus grumpily nodded as he turned away, "Yes, yes." He glanced back, "You have any suggestions?"

Gellert grinned, "I'm just a figment of your imagination, Albus. The real question is do you have the guts to go through with your darker ideas? The ones we argued about all those years ago?"

* * *

Peter could barely contain his horror as to the depths that his old headmaster had fallen in recent years. The old man had always come across as slightly eccentric to be sure but this was _madness!_

"Are…are you sure about this, Master?" Peter stammered. It had also been several months since he'd stopped calling Albus 'Headmaster.'

Albus turned a baleful eye onto his 'assistant' though 'minion' or 'sycophant' would probably be better terms to describe the cowering, whiny little man.

Peter cowered back behind the table once more, "I meant no disrespect but this just doesn't fit into what I was raised to believe how Albus Dumbledore would appear to be in the eyes of the world."

"Therein lays your problem, Mr. Pettigrew. You think I'm supposed to be one way when in reality, it was nothing more than an illusion I wished to project upon the world. That illusion is no longer beneficial and so must be discarded. We are on the brink of a new era and we must be ready to meet it."

"B-but to take the children away from their families?"

"Bah! What good would it do for those same families to fight us if they developed any hesitation to our ideals? No, as I had learned from governing Hogwarts, we must keep the children sequestered away from outside influences to erase any preconceived notions they have of the world. All information and care must be monitored and administered by us so the children will learn to see me as their savior from the harshness and predations of the mundane world."

"So what age should we start looking for?" Peter murmured quietly.

"No younger than the age of five. We do not need to sully ourselves with nighttime feedings and nappy changes after all. And stay away from the pureblood families; I have no desire for such pitiful offerings. The muggleborns should suffice for our needs."

"Who will be teaching them, Master?"

Albus sighed internally, "For the time being until we can find others of like mind, you and I will have to be their educators. I do not expect you to handle the magical teaching as I recall your own studies were…limited. You will be tasked with handling their mundane education."

* * *

The plans were made and Peter used his surprising Animagus ability to sneak into hardened and secure locations to scout out the information and location they needed to find muggleborns worthy of Albus' grand plan. Albus was rather impressed at Peter's suggestion of looking for muggleborn children of destitute families as they would be less likely missed than if they were from more well-to-do areas of residence.

After Peter had left to go secure the children and either eliminate the parents or just obliviate them, Albus settled into his favorite chair to contemplate what was next on his list of things to accomplish for the Greater Good.

"Bee in your bonnet, Albus?" Gellert's ghostly voice intruded into the silence.

Waving his hand dismissively, "Nothing terrible. Just organizing my thoughts and plans for the future generation."

Gellert settled into another chair opposite of him and observed his friend, "Interesting idea of yours to take the children away from their families early in life. Are you going to be following your old ideas for their education?"

Albus grunted, "Nothing as plebian as to the so-called 'standards' that we were required to follow. No, they will be following a more…rigorous plan. They will also be required to undergo strenuous physical conditioning as well. I liked that idea of yours, you know. Mind, body and soul must be in peak form if we are to have any chance of overwhelming our enemies."

"Just remember that the illusion of downtime and play is important to children of their ages. Couch it in terms of camping and sing-a-longs if you must, but they must rest otherwise they'll burn out at the most inopportune time." Albus nodded as he could see the benefits of that.

"Next item you should consider are punishments. What are you going to do if someone were to break your rules for obedience, failing a test or some such thing?"

Albus contemplated that, "For a minor infraction, I was thinking that the offender should receive a light punishment. Something painful that they will remember should they contemplate repeating their mistakes. A major infraction though or perhaps a repeat of a previously minor offense? I'm thinking execution; after all, it wouldn't do to let such traitorous thoughts prevail and it would set in their minds that I am their Master and Savior."

Gellert hummed at that, "I've noticed that you and Mr. Pettigrew are no longer referring to the children by their names. What's the reasoning for that?"

Albus puffed up in pride, "That one was my idea. The notion that the children have individuality within our community must be eliminated. We must strive for one mind, one community. Only by referring to them by their numbers will they have any sense of identity. They must earn the right to have a name. Even then, the name that will be given will be determined by a future mission then discarded after use."

"Not bad, not bad at all. It reminds me of what Adolf did back during the thirties and forties." Gellert remarked thoughtfully.

* * *

It was near the end of 1979 that events took an even darker turn for Albus and his plans for the Greater Good. Albus had decided that they would continue to use the safehouse in the Yorkshire Dales in its original function before using a newly secured fireplace to the manor. A chance encounter with the muggle Aurors while Albus was securing supplies let word leak out as to their whereabouts within the national park. It resulted in a deadly showdown between him and the magical Aurors who came in with wands blazing.

It took a stray shot from a muggle firearm to change Albus' mind that this was a fight he couldn't win. He quickly apparated out and headed inside the manor to find a solution to his immediate problem.

"Mr. Pettigrew! Where are you?" He bellowed as he made his was inside towards the medical wing. Peter rushed in a few moments later and exclaimed in shock at his mentor's condition.

"What happened?!"

"I was set upon by a couple of muggle Aurors. I have no idea as to how they got wind of my location but there you have it. It wasn't long after that, the magical Aurors arrived. It was a close battle but I managed to prevail. I need to rethink my plans for every stepping outside again. First and foremost however, I need to secure the location of the manor and its grounds from the general knowledge of those who would hurt us."

Peter finished applying the dittany and the clean bandage to Albus' wounds, "What did you have in mind, sir? We already have muggle and wizarding repelling wards set up."

Albus nodded at that, "I'm aware of that, Mr. Pettigrew but that's only around the manor. I was thinking of something even more secure and also more obscure so that if in case the worst should happen and the wards fail, the knowledge of our location is still safe. I'll need to do some research before we can continue."

Peter quietly accepted that as he began to clean up from his efforts, "Just to let you know, Master; the children are taking a break from their studies as you required they do. I have half of them busy tending to the gardens while the rest are cleaning the hallways."

"Good, good. Have any of them questioned you as to why they have to stay here or where their parents are?"

Peter shrugged a shoulder, "One or two but for the most part, I think they're still in shock from the change of location and situation." Albus grunted his acceptance of that answer. They had decided early on that elves would just be a distraction and a potential leak so the children would be used to function in their stead.

* * *

_**Later that evening in Albus' private study…** _

' _Hmmm…this might work to protect ourselves. The Fidelius Charm, it's a shame that Filius isn't here to answer some questions. No matter, I'm sure that I can figure it out myself. Now then, let's see if I can find a way to extend or protect my life in case of another surprise attack…'_

A timid knock on the door to his study broke the foreboding silence. He gestured with his hand and the door opened to reveal one of the children with a yellow number twelve on her tunic bearing a silver tray with a teapot and cup along with a plate of light pastries.

"Good evening, sir. Mr. Pettigrew sent this up in case you wanted something to snack on while you study."

Albus merely pointed to the empty end table and turned back to his book. The servant child quickly divested himself of the tray and scurried back out.

"I think I'll have Mr. Pettigrew be my Secret Keeper. It won't work with me as I've to be the Caster. It shouldn't be a problem as it's highly unlikely that anyone would suspect Peter Pettigrew as being important enough to hold onto something like this."

* * *

Unsurprisingly, at least in Albus' demented mind, the children took to their new situation with very little adaptation. The truth was that they knew they came from such destitute surroundings where hardship and a driving need to succeed at any cost was a way of life.

' _If we were still at Hogwarts, they'd be prime candidates for Slytherin House.'_ Albus would muse occasionally as he observed them going about their studies or performing their physical tasks.

There had only been one occasion where capital punishment had to be meted out. The child, number twenty-two, had stolen extra food and tried to squirrel it away. He had been caught the first time and given six lashings with a belt for the transgression but still decided to try again. As a result, number twenty two was put to death by hanging. His body on display for a full week before it was stripped of anything that could identify him and dumped out in the woods.

The next day, there was a new number twenty-two in their ranks. No one commented on the new arrival, just a reminder as to the fate of the old one to keep the new child in line.

Their classes were intense and involved, nothing less than perfection was permissible. Tests were given at random times and on random subjects; inspections were done the same way too. Privacy was non-existent other than when they went to the bathroom. All twenty-five ate together, slept together and learned together. Some of the softer ones tried to form friendships but were either rebuffed or disciplined by Mr. Pettigrew. The worst offenses got sent to Albus. Those children rarely came back in one piece or in good mental condition. Two showed signs of being tortured with the Cruciatus Curse.

Their lives became one of routine. Every day, rain or shine, they would rise at 6am and go through their morning ablutions before heading outside for morning exercises. When those were completed, they came back in, showered once more and straightened up their sleeping spaces. Next, they were lined up and inspected for grievous injuries or any possibility of contraband. If they passed, then it was down to the classroom for four hours of intense study in various magical subjects. If they didn't pass inspection for contraband, then they were punished. Grievous injuries were healed…somewhat, but for anything less than a broken limb, it was ignored. There was a break for one hour where they had a brief and simple meal before heading back into the classroom where they started in on their mundane studies of English, mathematics, writing and the like. Speaking aloud except for answering questions was strictly forbidden.

As a result, except for the sounds of twenty-five pairs of shoes marching in line towards their destinations, the manor was silent and foreboding.

The children were governed by a points system similar to that of Hogwarts but instead of winning a trophy at the end of the school year, their award was being able to accompany Mr. Pettigrew on a camping trip to the wooded areas of the castle grounds. However, even though they were ostensibly on a 'vacation' from the usual, there was always a vague sense of indoctrination to the trip. Sing-a-longs in the form of the glory that is Albus Dumbledore's Grand Plan for the Greater Good, physical games and activities that fostered a desire of giving up one's self for the Greater Good and even the craft making such as flags or banners were geared towards instilling the viewpoint that only by the grace of Albus Dumbledore was anything possible.

* * *

**February 1980**

Sybil Trelawney was not having a good day. It started off like it usually did but progressively grew worse. Hopefully, her interview with the Hogwarts Headmistress for the position of Divination Professor would change that perception. She was welcomed in and asked a bunch of the usual types of background questions like where she had been educated, why did she leave her last position, what it was that she was looking for in the possible professorship. All pretty standard stuff though the look of distaste on Headmistress McGonagall's face was clearly evident.

Then something happened…

Sybil's eyes suddenly rolled up in the back of her head and her breathing took on a raspy, rough tone before she began to speak.

" _ **The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"**_

To say that Minerva was flabbergasted would be something of an understatement. The witch actually let her mouth drop open in shock at such a declaration yet it also got her worrying. There were a couple of families that fit that profile! Sybil was still unconscious from the ordeal so Minerva fire-called Saint Mungo's and also sent word to the Department of Mysteries to investigate the validity of the younger witch's words.

* * *

Despite Albus' escape from the law specifically and society in general, he did maintain contact with some of his most easily impressionable, er…trustworthy people within the ministry and by luck, found out about the prophecy. Granted he didn't find out what the whole message was but he did find out enough that it caused him to worry.

That evening while in his private chambers, Gellert appeared before him again.

"What's on your mind now, Albus? I seem to appear when you're undecided about something."

Albus paced about the room before glancing up at the psychosis-induced phantasm, "I've received word from a contact within the ministry that there was a prophecy spoken about a child who could defeat some up and coming Dark Lord. I'm worried that there's a new player in the game to try and wrest control of Britain away from me."

Gellert started laughing at that, "Oh, Albus you poor deluded fool! The up and coming Dark Lord they're referring to is _you_!"

That got Albus to stop pacing and stare at his old friend in shock and a bit of horror, "Surely not! I am not a Dark Lord; I am the Leader of the Light. I do not go around killing indiscriminately! I only take what is rightfully mine and use that to guide the masses towards the betterment of all magical kind!"

Gellert had settled himself down in an empty chair while smirking at the old man, "Sure, sure. You can keep telling yourself that or you can accept that the prophecy was referring to you. You know it to be true, Albus. You are sick and yet you keep lying to yourself."

"Bah! I don't believe you," Albus waved his hand dismissively at the specter and continued his pacing, "But what am I to do? Should I send an envoy to the parents and beseech to them the benefits of joining me? Should I eliminate them so as to not have to worry about their child fulfilling the prophecy?"

Gellert crossed his arms over his chest as he merely stared at his friend, "What about backup protections? Should your first plan fail, what are your options for making sure that you survive?"

That got Albus to slow his pacing and sink into the first available chair, "I haven't considered that. What _would_ I be willing to do to survive if the unthinkable occurred?"

* * *

**July 1980**

It was during a supply run that included in obtaining a new wand when Albus found out that Lily Potter, nee Evans was soon to give birth to her and James' first child. In addition, he learned that Longbottoms were also expecting their first child. Both were supposed to be born by the end of the month.

' _Merlin! The end of the month? Born as the seventh month dies… oh, dear. Which family does the prophecy refer to though? The pureblood or the half-blood? I must speak with Gellert about this when I return to the manor!'_

When he returned, he rushed with as much dignity as he could muster into the Master's Study and called out for Gellert.

The specter looked at him in askance, "You do realize that I'm nothing more than a figment of your demented imagination, right? Well, whatever; I'm here so what's gotten your knickers in a twist?"

Albus filled in the specter with everything he'd learned during the mission and sat back to let the phantom ruminate on it.

"Well… if I was actually there and it was me that the prophecy referred to, I'd go with the half-blood. We've already proven that pureblood magicals are too diluted to be of much skill or interference outside of the political arena."

Albus poured himself a glass of firewhiskey and slowly sipped it as he thought about that comment, "Yes, that is a good idea. The half-blood _would_ be the more dangerous adversary."

* * *

Albus dove into his books on esoteric magics trying to find _something_ that would keep him safe. It was during the summer the following year when he hit upon a possibility. It was Dark as Dark could get but as he'd proven to himself over the years, sometimes the means justified the ends.

"Mr. Pettigrew, I have a very important mission for you."

"Y-yes, Master?" Peter stammered. _'This didn't bode well.'_

"I have decided that you will need to get in contact with your old friends, the Potters. They have something that I need that will ensure my plans succeed."

Peter was surprised. Of all the possibilities that could've happened, not in a million years would he would've expected this.

"I haven't spoken with James and the others since Hogwarts. We've had a falling out over the Death Eater thing."

Albus waved his hand dismissively, "Pish, this would be the perfect excuse then to rekindle old friendships. Let them know that you've survived and prospered."

"May…May I know what it is that you hope to gain by this, Master?"

Albus peered at him over his glasses in his best grandfatherly pose, "I have need of their assistance with a life-prolonging ritual. I'll need something that I'm sure they wouldn't mind sacrificing."

* * *

**Halloween 1981**

James and Lily weren't exactly pleased with their current situation. In fact, if looks could kill, Peter and Albus would've been burnt husks right about now. They had been approached by Peter nearly six months ago, supposedly trying to rekindle their old friendship in hopes of putting Peter's actions behind them.

In reality, they were kidnapped from their home and transported to Stonehenge to take part in some sort of cockamamie ritual. The Potter family was currently sitting inside a cage while quietly observing what was going on around them. Albus was directing Peter to place rune wardstones in specific places within the legendary monument all the while muttering to himself about what was supposed to happen next according to a list that he just pulled out of his pocket.

Lily quietly turned to her husband while cuddling their son against her chest, "James? I don't think he's going to let us out of here alive. The old man has completely lost the plot."

James nodded solemnly, "I agree but I don't know what we can do. He's taken our wands and I can feel the anti-apparition wards."

"Whatever happens, we must make sure that our son will live." Lily replied vehemently.

* * *

Peter came around later to offer them water to slake their thirst. James took the opportunity to speak with his former best friend.

"Pete? What happened to you? First Riddle, now Dumbledore?" he said scathingly.

Peter just grunted in displeasure, "I know, I seem to always fall into that trap. Fitting seeing as how my animagus form is a rat."

"So why do you continue to follow him? If you know how crazy this all is, why do you remain with him?"

Peter solemnly gazed into his oldest friend's eyes, "I have nothing else going for me. The day that Albus found me? I was about to commit suicide by jumping off the Blackpool Pier. He found me and gave me a sense of purpose without the constant terror of being tortured like things were when Lord Voldemort was still around."

Gesturing around them, Lily asked him, "But to do something as Dark as this? This is pure Dark Magic, Peter. Surely, you don't want to be a part of this?"

Peter dropped his head and seemed to mumble something nearly inaudible, "What would you have me do? Turn myself into the ministry and get sent to Azkaban? Rot there for the rest of my life?"

"Pete? Did you do anything truly terrible during the last war? Were you on the front lines torturing people?" Peter shook his head no. "Then you don't have anything to worry about. They don't send people to Azkaban for being naïve."

Just then Albus called for Peter to begin the ritual.

"Peter? Just promise me one thing," Lily rushed out, "If anything happens to us or if this ritual fails and we, including Albus dies; please get my son to my sister Petunia Dursley. She lives in Surrey. Please, Peter?" she finished beseechingly.

Peter nodded morosely, "If it all goes to the crapper, then yes, I'll save your son." He turned and headed back to the ritual circle and Albus.

* * *

In the meantime, both Lily and James put their heads together to figure out a way to give as much protection as they could to their baby son.

"There's one rune array that I can think of that _might_ be possible. It's called, 'the Protection of the Newborn." You and I would need to inscribe the runes on Harry's forehead in our own blood then sacrifice ourselves in his defense." James thought out loud.

"Whatever, let's do it. One more charm, rune array, anything to help Harry." Lily replied as she bit into her thumb to draw blood.

The protections in place and sealed with a final application of their own magic, Harry was roughly pulled from their grasp by Albus and taken over to the altar. Peter escorted the adult Potters to their intended spots where they would be executed as part of the ritual.

Albus began to chant in an ancient language that hadn't been heard or spoken in nearly a thousand years. Switching to Latin, he began the ritual.

He waved his wand and made a slice to the side of Harry's neck then watched briefly as the blood began to drain out, "Bene hoc fiat pristinis sordibus abjicienda!" (I bless this body; Let it cast aside the impurities of old.)

He cut his palm and let the blood drip out over Harry's head and body as he cast with his wand, "Mitto veterem animam; et corpus meum novum incolunt!" (I cast the old soul out; Let my soul inhabit the new body.)

A tiny spectral mist rose out of Harry's body and hovered over the two of them. Lily and James screamed in anguish and tried to escape their bonds. Albus' own soul rose out of his body, a thin thread remained attached, waiting for the next part. Unbeknownst to anyone except for Peter, who spotted it; a golden magical thread connected James, Lily and Harry together while slowly enveloping the ritual circle.

"Ceteris duobus adhaesit anima mea parate!" (Let my soul cleave in two and prepare for rest.) Albus' soul slowly split in half like an amoeba with one half remaining with the original while the other half drifted over to where Harry lay.

With a murderous glare over at the elder Potters, Albus turned his wand to them and declared them to be that which would power the final part and give him new, eternal life.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" he bellowed before the world seemed to explode in a golden light. There was a brief sound of a phoenix cry then darkness.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After researching and writing the previous chapter, I needed something light and fluffy to clear my mind.

**Summer of 1987: June**

James entered the kitchen carrying a pad of paper and a pen, a thoughtful look on his face. Lily paused in her breakfast making when she spotted him.

"What's with the look?"

James was reaching for a mug of coffee when she asked that, he looked up at her as he took a sip.

"I was thinking that I need to spend more time with Harry before he gets much older."

One of her eyebrows rose in question, "Don't you already? Just last week you two spent the entire afternoon flying on your broom."

James shrugged, "I was thinking of something else besides that. I started a list of possible activities." He handed it over to her. "The one I think he'd be most interested in would be a pranking war between the two of us against Remus, Sirius and Severus."

Lily grinned, "Don't forget Petunia. Half of your so-called 'Greatest Pranks' while at Hogwarts were because of her."

* * *

Harry made his appearance a short while later after he was dragged from his bed by one of the elves. He stumbled into the kitchen and mumbled his greetings.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Lily chirped sweetly.

Harry groaned in response, "Mu-um! It's too early to be that cheerful." He thumped his head onto the table.

James chuckled at his son's reaction, "Perk up, son. I've got just what you need to banish those summertime blues."

Harry just rolled his head over and glared up at his dad waiting for the inevitable 'boring adult stuff.'

Smirking at the look on his son's face, James held up the list and proclaimed, "A fun-filled summer full of activities geared for the active boy."

Harry quirked his eyebrow in a manner eerily reminiscent of Lily, "Such as?"

"Well, how about we spend a couple of days camping in the backyard? How does that sound?"

Harry picked his head up, "With an actual tent and sleeping bags and everything?" James nodded which caused Harry to begin grinning excitedly.

"I also have here some other options as well like: going swimming together, going for a bike ride; we could go rock climbing or if you're really interested, how about a prank war against your uncles and Aunt Petunia?"

Harry's eyes bugged out of his head as he nodded rapidly, "Yes to all of it!" Now fully awake, he scooted over closer to his dad and wanted to know what else they could do.

James laughed, "Don't worry, Harry. I promise that you won't get bored with your old man any time soon!"

* * *

With the camping option decided on first, James and Harry dug around through the stored supplies to see what they had that could be used for a tent. Lily had suggested that they go as muggle as possible and only use magic in case it rained or got too windy. As a result, the wizarding tent remained where it was and the canvas sheets James found in the garage was pulled open and examined for holes or other defects.

The two Potter males then began the difficult task of where to locate their campsite. Harry was all for setting up far away from the house while James recommended that they go no further than the Quidditch pitch.

"Let's face it, Harry. There's no bathroom here other than what's in the house and frankly, I'm not one to go to the toilet amongst the bushes." Harry made a face at that but finally agreed.

"Hey, how about we also set up a shower here in the open instead? You know how wonderful it feels when you leave the window open in the bathroom while you're taking a bath, right?" James suggested placatingly.

"Okay."

They finished getting the tent set up with a bit of help from Lily who came out to watch her big, strong men doing all sorts of 'manly stuff.' James and Harry mutually ignored her giggles and snorts of outright laughter.

James, with the assistance of Harry, got a fireplace setup using some rocks and a dugout pit. James showed Harry what to look for in fallen trees for the best firewood and what kind of plants to stay away from.

Dinner that night consisted of hamburgers, chips and hot chocolate. As they ate by firelight, James pulled out a leather covered journal and a pencil for Harry.

"I got you this so you can write down everything that you learn and experience on our camping trip and also for all the other activities that we accomplish this summer. It'll help keep your memories straight as well as a place to store pictures. I'll hang onto the camera so it doesn't get broken but if you need it, let me know. Okay?"

"Okay," Harry mumbled around his bite of hamburger.

They eventually settled into their sleeping bags after a couple of rounds of telling stories and jokes to lighten the mood. James watched his son slowly fall asleep, clutching his journal in his arms and a contented smile on his face.

"Yup, this is going to be one heck of a summer." He quietly mused as he settled down.

* * *

The next morning, James crawled out of the tent and stretched his aching back. _'I'm too old to be sleeping on the ground without using magic. How do the muggles do it?'_ he groused in his mind. He resolved to speak to Petunia about it later.

He ambled over to where the fireplace was and started stacking a fresh pile of wood so he could start cooking breakfast. He was extraordinarily thankful that he'd contacted Harry Evans about how to do this muggle camping stuff before the elder Evans' went on their vacation cruise.

Once the bacon was sizzling and the coffee brewing, Harry finally began making his usual morning noises. James casually munched on a rasher as he quietly watched his son climb out of the tent and plonk himself down in his chair whilst reaching for a mug of orange juice his father handed to him.

"Sleep well?"

Harry silently shrugged and continued to sip his juice. There was no malice behind the silent treatment; James knew that Harry took after him in the mornings.

"Well, when you're ready, I have a list of fun things we could do while on this trip. I was thinking that since your mum isn't here, we could use a bit of magic to learn how to ward against animals and insects then later we could go down to the pond and see what sort of fishing we could do."

That perked Harry right up, "That's great, dad! Umm…" he glanced around sheepishly, "Do you think we could use some magic to make the ground softer tonight? I didn't sleep too good."

James grinned knowingly and nodded his assent.

* * *

The rest of the morning was spent building a wooden table so they could set up their cooking gear there as well as a place to sit and learn how to craft wards to protect their campsite. Harry listened with such a focused attention that would've rivaled Hermione when given new books. James had him inscribing the appropriate runic symbols into wooden pegs that were leftover after cutting down a tree to use for later firewood and showed him how to infuse his own magic into them despite not having a wand, which as he explained was the 'normal' way.

"Dad? Why do I need a wand if I can do magic with just my hands?" Harry asked during one such session.

James thought about this, "Well, imagine trying to put out a fire with a hose only you're trying to aim at it by holding onto the hose near the tap. That's what wandless magic is like. Now if you were to hold onto the hose right up by where the water is coming out from, that's what using a wand is like. Do you understand?" He waited to see if Harry could put the information together in a way that the younger boy would understand.

It took a few minutes before the look of understanding in Harry's eyes brightened, "Oh! You have better control over where the magic goes, right?"

James beamed happily at his smart boy, "That's exactly right, my smart boy!"

Harry then looked over the wooden pegs, "Aren't wards supposed to be scratched into rocks? Why are we using wood?"

James shrugged, "What we're doing here is just temporary. For long-lasting wards, you would normally use stone but for our purposes wood will suffice."

* * *

After setting up the wards and noticing that what bugs there were hanging around suddenly disappearing, Harry was eager to start learning other forms of magic. His dad joked with him that there was a form of magic that a good boy would use on his mother whenever there were biscuits to be had. Harry was wide-eyed as his father gave him some interesting pointers to be written down in his journal for the next time such an opportunity arose. Concepts such as 'please and thank you' were obvious even to Harry but there were other magical phrases such as, 'Mummy, may I please help you clean up?' caused him to giggle especially as James said that the phrases were supposed to be said with a wide-eyed, innocent look on his face.

Later, they traipsed down to the pond to see if there was any decent looking fish to be found. They fashioned up some fishing rods from some straight, young tree branches then James taught his son how to tie on his hook with some string and the bait they dug from the streambed. Harry was excited to be learning how to fish but quickly lost interest when he discovered that the bulk of fishing was sitting quietly and waiting for the stupid fish to realize that there was bait to be had.

James shrugged, "It's not a problem, Harry. Not all of our ideas will work out how we wanted them to. If you want, we could go for a walk in the woods and see what else we can find there?" Harry agreed so they packed up their fishing rods and dropped them off in at their campsite and headed off.

* * *

Lily was sitting in the living room relaxing with a cup of tea and a stimulating book whilst her husband and son were, ahem…'roughing it.' She giggled every time she thought about the mental image of them swatting at flies and mosquitoes while trying to cook over an open fire.

' _I don't know why I'm thinking that. I know that James knows how to cook and he's already said that he'd be teaching Harry how to ward against insects. Still funny though…'_

One of the elves popped in carrying the communication mirror saying that Miss Tunie was 'on the line.'

"Thank you, Elsie. That will be all." She replied to the elf before turning back to the mirror, "What's up, Tunie?"

"I just wanted to find out how the Potter boys were doing on their camping trip. Have they finished their battle with the elements and admitted defeat?"

Lily shook her head while laughing, "Nope, they're still out there though I'm surprised they haven't come in to use the bathroom. I know that James wasn't going to be setting one up out there."

Petunia gave a momentary distant look, "Don't you have some sort of crofter's cottage out near the pond?"

Lily paused before snapping her fingers in understanding, "You're right, there's a bathroom in there too. That's probably where they're going. So what else is new?"

* * *

Two days later, James and Harry traipsed back into the Manor covered in smiles and traveling grime. Harry ran up to his mum and began telling her everything that they'd done in the only way that he knew how: very fast and all at once. Lily, for her credit, just nodded and made the appropriate noise whenever there was a pause in description. She glanced over at her tired husband and grinned at his look of mild exasperation.

"Harry…Harry! Slow down. Why don't you help your father put away your stuff then go take a shower, eh? I'm sure you're both tired and sore from sleeping on the ground." She gently admonished her son.

After that was all said and done, the Potter family gathered in the living room so Lily could be given a better description of what the camping trip was like in all its glory. Harry dumped a bag full of various bits and bobs of things he'd found on their nature walks and began explaining what each one was and where he'd found it. Her heart nearly stopped when Harry described slipping off a steep hill and sliding down into the stream.

"It was really scary! I was screaming so loud I'm surprised that you didn't hear me, mum!" Harry waved his arms as he expanded upon what it was like to go sliding down the hill while getting all muddy and covered in grass and leaves.

"Despite all that, when I got to him the first thing out of his mouth was, 'Hey, Dad! I'm a mud monster!'" James laughed.

* * *

James did have a job that he had to go to during the week; he wasn't going to go the 'spoiled, rich pureblood' route like so many others did. He wanted to be able to come home and say that he'd accomplished something with his day. To that end, he'd found a job working as a clerk at Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley. That also meant that he and Harry wouldn't be able to continue their father/son bonding time until at least the weekend.

Thankfully, Harry had plenty of friends to spend his time while waiting for the next adventure.

While his dad was expounding about the inherent qualities of the latest Nimbus broom versus its closest competitor, Harry was holding court with his best friends in his bedroom.

"Wow! You guys actually camped outside?" Neville gasped in wonder.

Harry puffed up in pride, "Yup, that's not all we did. We went everywhere on the property too!"

The others like Susan Bones and her friend, Hannah Abbott looked up from where they were sitting examining a photograph of a deer that Harry had taken and scooted closer to the conversation. Hermione peered up from her ever-present book and listened in. Dudley was busy in the kitchen looking for something to snack on.

When he returned, he found the others intently listening to his cousin going on about the adventures that he and his uncle had that past weekend. He plopped down next to Hermione and silently offered her a slice of an apple one of the elves had given him. She took it without even looking and nodded her thanks before quietly munching on the treat.

* * *

The next weekend, the Potter Boys left the house and headed out into town on their bikes to go see what was available in the cinema. The road was empty of traffic so James let Harry experience what it was like to ride in the street. Harry, for his part, squealed with joy of getting to ride like an adult and pedaled as hard as he could so he could feel the wind in the bits of his hair that stuck out from under his helmet. He was proud of the fact that he didn't need to use the training wheels any more. _'I'm not a baby!'_ he would exclaim when Lily wanted him to use them. James suggested when Harry wasn't around that they just hide them with magic and let their son think they'd taken them off. After a while, the wheels were just taken off as it was apparent that Harry's skill at learning how to ride properly was growing in leaps and bounds.

They took several breaks along the way and shared a bottle of water to slake their thirst.

"I'm really proud at how well you're doing on this ride, Harry. I don't think you've ever gone this far on that bicycle." James complimented him.

When they finally got into town, they pulled up outside the movie theater and parked and locked their bikes in the rack. Examining their choices, they had the option of seeing _Spaceballs, Inner Space,_ and _Harry and the Hendersons._ Harry wanted to see them all especially the one with his name in it. James talked him out of seeing the movie called _The_ _Witches of Eastwick_ saying that it looked like a grown up sort of movie that would bore Harry to tears. In the end, they agreed to see _Spaceballs_ first and if they had time they'd pick another one.

* * *

Lily got home just in time to see her husband and son pull up on their bikes laughing the entire way.

"You both look like you had a great time. How was the movie? Which one did you see?"

One of the elves popped in and took the bicycles away so that left Harry to describe the two movies they saw.

"Mum, we got to see a really funny movie about two space travelers fighting an evil man in a flying motorhome! It had robots that talked funny and a creature with the name of Pizza the Hut!"

Lily was confused and said so. James helped out his son by explaining some of the premise of the movie. "I think you ought to see it too, Lils. It's hilarious; a spoof on the Star Wars franchise."

"Ah… okay. What else did you see? You said that you got to see two movies?"

Harry was still bouncing with excitement, "Uh-huh! We also got to see _Harry and the Hendersons_. It was a funny movie too and it was about a family who hit a Bigfoot with their car and ended taking it home with them."

Lily looked bemused at her son's explanation and promised herself that she'd get a better report from her husband later.

"Well, it sounds like you had the greatest adventure to date, huh?" Harry kept bouncing and trying to nod at the same time. Lily finally took him by the shoulders and gently held him down. "I think you also had too much sugar and excitement; so why don't you go take a bath or something and get ready for dinner?"

Harry gave his mum a kiss before racing off to his room. Lily turned back to her husband who sighed, "At least you two had fun."

At dinner that night, Lily was given an in-depth look at what her son experienced on his trip to the city with his father. Every tiny detail was explained and described to the point where it seemed that she was right there alongside. It warmed her heart that Harry got to spend time with his father and was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Later, when Harry was finally in bed and the elder Potters were settling into theirs, Lily turned to James and remarked that perhaps she ought to see if Hogwarts could benefit from these movies as well.

James shrugged and made a thoughtful face, "I don't see why they couldn't though I'm confused as to how you'd be able to get the projectors to work within the school. Barring that, what about using the movies as a reward to the house that gets the highest number of points for a given period? It's certainly better than a trophy they'd never get to hold or share with their parents."

Lily's mouth dropped open at that suggestion and squealed before diving for her nightstand to write down her husband's suggestion. "That's _perfect!_ It's time to revamp the whole rewards system anyhow; it's too outdated and completely meaningless these days."

* * *

**July 1987**

Harry was ecstatic about the way his summer vacation was turning out. He was sitting in his bed going through the journal that his dad had given him when they went on their camping trip last month. In the beginning he wasn't sure as how to describe the various things he'd seen or done but now, with a bit of practice and some spelling assistance from both parents, his journal was stuffed full of pictures, pressings of random flowers or leaves and a plastic bag to hold the rocks and minerals he'd found as well. His little captions underneath each item held information as to where he'd found it, what he thought it was and how he thought it got there.

Most everything he'd put within its pages were of the mundane sort though occasionally there were magical inclusions. He'd found a colony of pixies living within their forest and managed to get a couple of pictures of them flittering around. _'I even got to touch one when it came close enough!'_ he mused contentedly.

Harry heard his mother's voice drifting up into his bedroom, calling him down for breakfast so he scrambled to find his slippers and dashed off out of the room.

Down in the kitchen, Lily allowed the elves to put on the finishing touches to the morning meal when Harry made his grand entrance. As usual, he took the turn too fast coming off the stairs and slid past the doorway. When he ambled in, he swept his hair out of his face and gave his 'trademarked' lop-sided grin that was so reminiscent of James and sat down at the table.

"So, Harry," his mother began as she set a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him, "What do you and your father have planned for this month?"

Harry scooped up a big forkful of eggs and shoved them into his mouth before shrugging his shoulders.

"I dunno. I was thinking that maybe we could build something together?" He looked hopefully up at James, who was sitting there nursing a cup of coffee.

James pursed his lips, "Well… we have a couple of options there. I've wanted to build a patio deck outside of the conservatory though that may be too much for you. How about a treehouse? You can invite your cousin and your friends over to come and help too."

Harry looked puzzled, "But with them here, would this still be our time?"

James gestured briefly with a free hand, "Yes, Harry. It would still count as our time. You and I could get the main construction done then when it's time to do the details, you can invite everyone else over."

Harry beamed happily, "I want to do that."

* * *

Taking into consideration that even with magic and having to wait until James finished working his job, the treehouse was designed, located and built within two weekends. When the walls were roughed in and the roof installed, Harry put out the call to Dudley and the rest of his friends to come help with the finishing touches. Hermione arrived carrying a basket of things that she felt could be used to 'pretty things up a bit.' Harry made a face when he spotted the frilly lace curtains and the stuffed unicorns.

Lily spotted the look on his face and chuckled, "Harry. Even pirates would hang up the frilly stuff when they got back from their adventures to show off what they had plundered from their enemies."

Harry's face cleared when he heard that.

When Neville arrived, he came bearing gifts of a plant like nature. There was some kind of creeping vine that sang when you watered and sung to it. In addition, he brought a potted flower that looked like it was on fire when the afternoon sun hit it.

"Wow! These are awesome, Nev! Where'd you get them?"

Neville blushed, "From my parents' greenhouse. I told them that I wanted to bring something interesting and mum suggested these."

"That's cool. It'll fit in perfectly with the thing that Susan brought."

The 'thing that Susan brought' turned out to be an enchanted terracotta sculpture of a bear that growled loudly whenever someone got too close to it and was in a mischievous mood. The kids had fun decorating their treehouse and planting the plants that Neville had brought whilst under his supervision.

* * *

The third Saturday of the month, Harry awoke to a silent room. There was no sound other than his own breathing. _'That's odd. There's usually some kind of noise from the elves, dad or mum yelling for me to wake up.'_ He slid out of bed and opened up his wardrobe. The moment the doors opened up a crack, there was an explosion of purple smoke and a loud trumpeting sound. When the smoke cleared, he found himself decked out in the most embarrassing girly tutu and leotard.

"WHAT THE HECK?!" he yelped as he leapt back and tried to tug off the offending clothing to no avail. He stood there in that lurid costume while his mind tried to think of what day it was. With a groan, he remembered something about the third Saturday would be spent pulling a Prank War on all members of the family.

' _Joy…I got hit with the first wave. I wonder who it was that did this? Mum, probably. Not exactly dad's style. Sirius is unlikely as well, there's no glitter.'_ He grumbled internally as he finally gave up on trying to get the tutu off. He grabbed a robe and tied it around him in a vain hope that no one would notice before leaving his room. He was about halfway down the hallway before he remembered his stash of prank potions and gear that he'd accumulated over the past year. He scampered back into his room, grabbed his 'Pack of Destruction and Mayhem' and headed back towards the kitchen.

This time instead of his usual entrance, Harry went down the back way and came across his parents watching the normal doorway, evidently waiting for his dramatic entrance. With a silent snort, he fashioned up a bowl of cereal and quietly sat down at the counter, watching his parents. It took a few minutes past when he'd normally arrive for James to start wondering out loud what was taking their son so long.

Shaking her head, Lily wondered how long it was going to take him to discover the jinx on his wardrobe.

Quirking an eyebrow up, Harry made a mental note that his mother was due a bit of reciprocity as well. _'She hit me with a clothing jinx. Do I have anything in my Pack that is clothing related? I got a potion that would cause her clothes to slowly shrink over time.'_

James got up and turned around to stow his plate in the sink when he spotted his son sitting quietly at the counter observing the two elder Potters, with a sly smirk on his face, "Umm…Lily? I think we've been had."

Lily quickly turned and saw her son with the most evil look she'd ever seen on Harry's face, "Uh-oh…"

Harry leant back in his chair and slowly rubbed his hands back and forth, "Let the games begin, shall we?"

* * *

When Petunia, Vernon and Dudley arrived later in the afternoon, they heard various bangs and whistles going off in distant parts of the house. The adults glanced worriedly at each other while Dudley looked rather scared.

"Right…" Petunia grimaced, "I forgot that today was the Prank War they'd been planning. Dudley? Vernon? Be careful of anything you touch, eat or drink. There's no telling what's been tampered with."

"Should we come back at another time?" worried Vernon.

Petunia squared her shoulders, "No, I don't have enough free time to reschedule. Come on, let's get this over with."

The three Dursleys entered the living room to find a cushion fort set up in one corner of the room with the remaining couches and chairs set up in the opposite side. There was a golden flag with a large 'H' that denoted which was Harry's territory and an electric blue 'J/L' flag denoting where James and Lily had set up camp.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," the drawling voice of Severus was heard. He was leaning up against a wall nursing a bottle of Butterbeer and smirking at the incredulous looks on their faces, "They've been at this since day break. I was fortunate enough not to get pulled into one side or the other for the expedient fact that I was carrying potion ingredients."

"Where's Remus?" Dudley asked loudly as a sinister green rocket shot out of the James/Lily territory and burst over Harry's which caused all the cushions to start singing 'I'm a little teapot' off-key.

Severus snorted, "He's wisely decided to hole up in his cottage and wait out the storm. Sirius on the other hand, has teamed up with Harry."

Petunia leaned through the doorway and yelled, "Lily! It's me, Petunia! Can you call a cease-fire for a moment?"

A shiny and sparkly head of green hair slowly rose up over the back of one of the chairs before Lily completely popped up and warily glanced around the room looking for any last minute attempts of attack. Petunia spotted Harry peeking out from one singing cushion as well.

"Hey, Tunie. Ummm…yeah. Harry? Sirius? Can we take a break for a moment?"

They heard whispering coming from the cushion fort before Harry and Sirius stood up to show they were okay with it. Harry was sprouting a tremendous handlebar mustache while Sirius had a ring of flapping birds hovering around his head. Dudley started laughing when he saw Harry's new 'stache.

"Nice look there, Harry. You're living up to your name today."

Harry just smirked back, "Laugh it up, Dud. You hang around here today and you're going to be fair game as well."

"Harry, Dudley won't be able to handle very much of the magical changes. Keep whatever you have planned to bodily functions, okay? Belching, farting, sneezing are all good." Petunia gently suggested.

"Uncle Vernon? Do you want to play with us too?" Harry asked his uncle.

Vernon played up the look of contemplation, "I dunno. Whose side would I have to take?"

Harry jumped up and down, "Mine! Pick me!"

Vernon cocked an eyebrow at his nephew, "I dunno…you seem awfully excited. Maybe I should go with James for this round? After all, you have Sirius with you."

James just gave a smug grin at his son and Sirius.

* * *

While the boys were renewing their vows to take down the 'enemy,' the Evans' girls were getting settled in the family room. Petunia eyed all the changes to Lily's appearance and wondered when it was all going to fade.

Lily shrugged, "Either by the end of the day or whenever I cast a _finite_. I'm not worried, there's nothing harmful just creative potion effects and some simple spells that Sirius sent our way."

"Harry must be having the time of his life right now; I don't think I've ever seen him happier." Petunia remarked. An elf popped in with a tray of tea and scones before vanishing.

Lily chuckled, "Oh, it's been an absolute delight today. There's laughter and joy everywhere you look." She sobered up then, "To think, it all could've ended badly if Albus had gotten his way. I still have nightmares every now and then."

Petunia looked concerned, "Have you spoken to anyone about this? It's been several years."

Lily lazily gestured with her hand, "I've talked with James about it and I've also been seeing a mind healer as well but…well… it still pops up every now and then." She then shook herself to clear off the negative feelings, "So what brings you by today?"

Petunia gave one last searching glance at her baby sister before starting in on the main topic of some of the new programs her department were involved in and whether or not to start introducing the muggle movies incentive that Lily had suggested a month ago to the department that was the school's liaison to the ministry and the logistical problems that would arise, not to mention potential blowback from the conservatives.

* * *

**Friday 31 July 1987 Potter Manor**

Today was Harry's seventh birthday and it was already shaping up to be the grandest one ever. When he opened his eyes, he spotted a rolled up scroll and magnifying glass laying next to his glasses on the nightstand. Curious but also cautious in case this was a leftover prank from their epic battle a week ago, he reached out using his stuffed hippogriff and nudged the scroll. There was no response so, he took a chance and picked it up along with the magnifying glass.

Upon unrolling it, it looked like a map and some words written at the top.

' _While this morning starts your special day,_

_It would be wrong to not safely send you on your way._

_Follow this map, you will need,_

_A starting clue to make you a very happy birthday boy, indeed.'_

The look of dawning excitement grew on Harry's face. _'A treasure hunt! Dad's been hinting at doing this for ages!'_ He leapt out of bed and scrambled to get his day clothes on. He picked up the map and scanned it with the magnifying glass to see if there were any tiny clues that he'd missed the first time around. Seeing none, he touched it with his finger and declared the same pass phrase that his dad and godfather were always saying, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Nothing happened.

' _Darn. Okay, that didn't work but let's see what happens when I hold it up to the light.'_

Doing so revealed a series of lines and images that resembled the manor and its rooms. A large number one was superimposed on the bathroom followed by a number two in the kitchen. After rushing into the bathroom, he saw there was a silver Sickyle attached to the side of the vase that held his toothbrush. It didn't take him long to figure out that he needed to brush his teeth and wash his face before racing off to the second spot on the map.

When he arrived in the kitchen, one of the elves placed a bowl of cereal on the table and pointed to another rolled up scroll.

This one read:

' _Once you're done, fed and watered;_

_Come to the place where your green, leafy friends can be traded and bartered.'_

' _Traded and bartered?'_ he wondered. _'Green, leafy friends?'_ "Oh! They must mean the greenhouse!" He yelped before diving back into his cereal.

* * *

As Harry raced into the greenhouse, he paused for a moment to catch his breath. Looking around, his gaze was caught on a large pot filled with fresh soil. Nestled amongst it was a small, thorn covered bush that had tiny tendrils waving about and a pair of palest blue eyestalks looking back at him. Located under one of the thorny branches was another scroll but every time he tried to reach for it, the tendrils would smack his hand.

Screwing up his face in confusion, he glanced back down at the scroll in his hand. He knew from past experience that everything he needed to pass the test was located within the message. He let out a frustrated sigh and jiggled the Sickyle in his pocket. His jiggling slowed as the look of 'duh!' spread across his face

Shaking his head in self-perceived stupidity, he remembered that this particular plant was fond of shiny items like a Niffler. He pulled the coin out from his pocket and placed it on the soil in front of the plant. The eyestalks immediately spotted the shiny coin and whipped its tendrils around the silver piece. While it was distracted, Harry grabbed the scroll and backed away.

This new one had no writing, just an image: It showed a large number three at the location of the lake where he and his dad had their ill-fated fishing trip.

* * *

At the lake edge, Harry paused for a moment to catch his breath and to recheck the scroll. Based on what landmarks were drawn in, he was right where he was supposed to be. He leaned up against a tree to take a break for a moment. He was getting sweaty and thirsty. _'I should've brought a water bottle with me,'_ he groused. Just then he heard a soft coughing sound and spotted a water bottle settling down on the ground next to him. He smiled as he realized that one or more of his parents were nearby and watching to make sure he was okay.

Taking a sip of the cool water, he spoke aloud to no one in particular, "If my parents or whoever it was that left this bottle of water here were listening, I'd tell them thank you." Once he was finished, he took a look around the water's edge to see what sort of clues were to be found. He discovered a long tree branch and some string along with a hook perched up on a tree stump. Concluding that he'd need to fish for whatever it was, he quickly started assembling his rod and hook. Glancing into the water, Harry spotted what appeared to be a box of some kind resting on the bottom in a spot that looked too deep for him to safely wade.

Taking a fortifying breath, Harry cast his line in and began to fish for the lid handle. It took the better part of half an hour before he was successful enough to wade in and grab it and bring it back to shore.

"Aha! Gotcha! Okay, let's see… Okay, there are what looks like runes here," he sat there as he thought about what the symbols represented.

"Oh! It must be part of a warding thing dad taught me. Neat. Okay, what's missing?" Another few minutes passed before a spark of an idea popped into his head. Again, he said to no one in particular, "I hope it would be okay if I were to rush back to my room and get my journal. I think the answer may be in there." He waited a moment before running at full tilt back to the manor.

Before racing back to the lake, he stopped off in the kitchen and grabbed another bottle of water that was conveniently sitting on the table. Smirking to himself, he headed back to the lake. When he got back, he plopped down and took a moment to take a calming breath. _'This is so much fun! I can't wait to share this day with everyone else.'_

Harry opened up his journal to the section that described his camping trip and the warding instructions that his dad had shared. He ran his finger down the different runes and symbols while matching them to what was written on the box. He spotted that there was a symbol for locking that needed to be removed. He grabbed a nearby stone and almost went ahead with scratching it out before pausing.

' _Seems too easy. Dad wouldn't do anything that easy, would he? Lemme take another look.'_ Sure enough, there was a connecting symbol that if triggered by scratching out the locking rune, would've caused the box to shrink to the size of a matchbox.

"Hmmph! I knew it. I never would've been able to go on if the box was that tiny. Wait…I still have the magnifying glass, though. Nah, better not chance it." His face scrunched up again, "On the other hand, how am I supposed to isolate the shrinking rune without damaging the box?"

* * *

Harry sat there for what seemed the longest time as he figured it out. Finally deciding that his parents wouldn't have given him something impossible, he went ahead and scratched out the locking rune. The box gave a sort of wiggle before shrinking down to the size of a matchbox. Grunting in frustration, Harry peered through the magnifying glass. There, slowly flashing next to the now defunct shrinking symbol, were two symbols for 'restoration' and 'open.'

Shaking his head in exasperation and wondering why he didn't see them before, Harry went ahead and pressed the restoration symbol. This caused the box to return to its original size. He then pressed the open symbol and the lid popped open. Inside was a key and yet another scroll.

' _You're almost finished! Yay!_

_Today will be the day, bring yourself and the key;_

_To the place where you can be,_

_The King of the World Birthday Boy in just about every way!'_

' _Okay, a key. Where can I go that needs a key? It can't be the manor 'cause all the doors I've used were unlocked. King of the World?'_ With another 'duh' moment, he got up and started jogging towards the treehouse.

Harry arrived at the treehouse and immediately heard giggling and whispering coming from the platform above him even though he couldn't see anything. He grinned as he headed around back to where the stairs were and started climbing. He thought about pranking the lot of them by taking the hidden rope climb but decided against it. Chances were high that one of his friends would've told the adults about it. He stood in front of the locked door that led into the treehouse itself and paused, "Thanks, mum and dad. Today's been fun." He put the key in, turned the knob and took a step in.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!"


	19. Chapter 19

**Tuesday 1 September 1987**

Harry arrived at school and was sitting on a bench under a shady tree when Hermione approached him. He spotted her and grinned happily to which she returned her own beaming smile.

" _ **You look like you did on your birthday, Harry."**_ Hermione commented on in Parseltongue.

Harry merely shrugged a shoulder before sliding over a bit to allow her to sit down next to him, _**"I can't help it. That was the most epic day of my life!"**_

Hermione swung her feet briefly before starting again, this time in English, "So what do your parents have in store for you this year? Didn't your mum say that they were going to start you learning some important family stuff?"

Harry nodded his head, "Yup, Dad said that they were going to teach me how to manage my allowance. We have an appointment to speak with the Family Account Manager at Gringott's this coming Friday."

"That's good. I should do the same thing with my parents. Mum has said that my obsession with buying up all the books in the world is getting expensive," she huffed in annoyance, "I do NOT have an _obsession!_ "

Harry chuckled briefly before leaning comfortingly against her shoulder, "Um… yes, Hermione you do have an obsession. I've seen the look on your face whenever you come over to my place and you pass by the library."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously before she let out a growl of indignation and crossed her arms. She only relented when Harry gave her a quick hug and patted her on the shoulder just as the bell rang for school to start.

* * *

During recess break, the two kids met up with their friends and decided to storm the monkey bars to defend their right to climb. A couple of older kids tried to dissuade them of that but through grim determination and not a bit of accidental magic, Harry and his crew stood their ground until the older kids finally gave up and left.

" _ **That'll teach you to mess with Captain Kid and his Merry Misfits!"**_ yelled Hermione, not realizing that she was hissing out in Parseltongue. Harry's eyes went wide and he clapped a hand over her mouth and whispered frantically in her ear. Hermione's eyes bugged out and she blushed bright pink before hightailing it to the girls' bathroom.

She was hiding in one of the stalls when she heard Harry's tentative voice call out to her, "Hermione? Are you alright? You can come out now." She slid back the lock, opened the door and peered out. Harry was standing in the doorway rubbing his arm nervously.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I don't know why I yelled that in Parseltongue," she sniffed. Harry waved it off as not a big deal before holding out his arms as an offer for a hug to which she gratefully accepted.

"Don't worry about it. You should've seen me the first couple of times I used it in public. I thought my mum's head was going to explode because it turned so red. Come on, we saved you a place on the monkey bars." He gestured for her to follow him back.

* * *

When they got back, she found out that the others in their circle of friends didn't really care that Hermione could also speak the snake language. If anything, it renewed their interest in trying to learn it again.

"I think it would be great if we could all know how to speak at least a couple of phrases. Just think; it would be like our own secret club language." Susan commented.

"That and it would freak out our parents if we could use it around them," remarked Hannah. Neville and Dudley grinned and nodded along.

Harry shrugged, "If you all want to learn it, then I have no problem teaching you."

* * *

**Saturday 12 September 1987**

" _ **Sshash-shah essh litthec,"**_ hissed Harry to the assembled and thoroughly interested group of his friends and Dudley. They listened intently and thought about what they believed Harry was speaking about.

"Um… you said that you are hungry and hoped that your mum was making pigs?" Dudley hesitantly replied.

Harry beamed at his cousin, "Close! I did say that I was hungry but I wondered if mum was going to be making sausages." The others nodded and murmured 'ohhs!' of understanding. There was a brief knock at his bedroom door before Lily stuck her head in.

"Hey everyone, I was just wondering if you wanted any snacks or drinks for your language lessons?"

Neville jokingly pointed between Harry and Lily, "How would you say that in Parseltongue, Harry?"

Harry thought for a moment, _**"Essa apparessa?"**_

That caused everyone to laugh, including Lily who playfully sneered at her sassy son.

"Fine then, make a joke; you won't care what I bring? Pink lemonade and frilly biscuits for everyone?" she snarked back to her horrified son and his male friends.

"I'm sorry, Mum! Please no! Don't bring out the pink stuff," Harry pleaded playfully in a clearly over the top manner to even more laughter from the others.

* * *

**Saturday 19 September 1987**

By the time that Hermione's birthday rolled around, the crew of 'Captain Kid' were fairly fluent in at least understanding what was said in Parseltongue. True to Hannah's prediction, the adults were a little creeped out by some of their children's newfound ability to speak in a hissing language that was normally associated with the Dark Arts. Hermione's parents looked to Petunia to gauge her reaction. Her relaxed attitude towards the ability lessened their apprehension to their daughter speaking like a snake. It was especially helpful amongst the group to be able to communicate with your friends in quiet places like the library or in class during test time.

One thing that happened that surprised everyone outside of Harry and Hermione was that the local reptile population suddenly found a reason to hang out around their residences and yards. This shocked many but soon it became relief as any pest problems soon vanished. Severus had found references in some rather old books that pointed to the reptile community being drawn to places where parselmouths lived because those locations were viewed as a safe place to live and find new mates without fear of predators and the small minded idiocy of the general human population.

* * *

Hermione's ninth birthday was in full swing in her backyard. There were all the usual trimmings and games that were normally associated with a birthday including an inflatable bouncy castle, pin the tail on the donkey, races, and finger painting. Emma had even managed to talk James and Sirius into putting on a magic show. The two adult magical put on a pretty good display of charms and transfigurations. Sirius transfigured a parade of cartoonish magical creatures out of some rocks and debris while James charmed Hermione's party dress to change into random colors and effects whenever someone wished her a happy birthday. Both Dan and Emma were relieved to a certain extent that Hermione hadn't really found any friends of a non-magical sort as it would've been difficult to keep the amount of magic a secret, even with Petunia there to assist.

By the time that it all wound down and the guests had returned home, Hermione was in need of a calming draught. She was still wound up from all the sugar and excitement and could only sort of sit on the couch and bounce every so often and giggle. Harry was busy doing 'important boy stuff' with Neville and Dudley while Hermione had been requested to stay out of the adults' way as they gathered everything up.

"Hermione?" She turned at the sound of her name and spotted Susan standing in the doorway.

"What's up?" she frowned briefly, "Is there something wrong?"

Susan shook her strawberry blonde curly hair, "Nope, your mum said you were in here and probably still wired from all the excitement. I was just checking to see if you were alright and wanted to play a quiet game or something?"

Hermione thought about it and suggested that they go up to her room where all the games and presents were currently stored. "Where's Hannah?"

"Gone home with her parents. My parents went home already. They said that your parents said that it was okay that I stay to keep you occupied for a while."

Hermione giggled at Susan's explanation, "Fine. Let's go see what sort of goodies I've scored."

When Emma found the girls later, both Hermione and Susan were laying on the floor looking up at the projected image of the constellations and making up their own silly stories about how they came to be.

* * *

**Thursday 15 October 1987**

The days leading up to that Thursday were odd indeed. Both magical and mundane animals were acting out of the ordinary with the more intelligent ones making some effort to either leave Potter Manor grounds or to at least dig in. This confused the humans on the property until Lily asked the elves what they thought it could possibly be.

"There is being a big storm approaching England, Mistress. All the animals can be feeling it," squeaked the elf nervously.

Lily thanked the elf and went in search of her husband. She found him in his study reading a book. "James? According to the elves, the reason for the animals' odd behavior is because of a large storm that's bearing down on England. Does the Wardstone have storm protections?"

James got a puzzled and thoughtful look on his face, "I think so. I can't imagine that there wouldn't be. You mean protections for itself or for the manor and grounds?"

"I think all of it. The whole thing especially if it's as big as the elves say it is. I'm thinking that if the wards can handle it, I was going to offer the protection to hunker down here to my sister and her family and perhaps even the Grangers."

James put down his book and headed off to where the Wardstone was located. When he returned, he commented that the wards _could_ handle the storm just fine and that he had no problem bringing in anyone Lily wanted. She gave him a kiss and a smile before heading off to where she left the communication mirror.

Lily got ahold of Dan who confirmed that the weather reports were growing increasingly dark and that if push came to shove, they'd be grateful to go somewhere safe.

"What about your belongings? Do you want to move the important stuff over now rather than waiting?" Lily asked.

Dan nodded thoughtfully, "Good idea. Do you think I could borrow one of your elves to help pack things up?"

"Not a problem, I'll send one right now," Lily replied before looking off screen.

* * *

It would eventually be dubbed as the 'Great Storm of 1987.' A violent, extratropical, 1 in 200 year return period kind of monster of a cyclone with wind speeds clocked at over 139 km/h and gusts reaching 216 km/h. Damage was extensive over several countries and cost around £2 billion (a/n: 5.526 billion today) Power and services were knocked out or severely disrupted for thousands of people. At least 22 people were killed in England and France.

On the magical side, the Statute of Secrecy was getting a workout as hundreds of Obliviators and the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes were working overtime trying to corral various projects, animals and family members into safety. The department in control of creating portkeys was in a state of panic as they rushed to fulfill orders. There were only a few minor incidences of magical items or personnel being spotted by the mundane population, but fortunately it was chalked up to the general chaos in preparing for the storm.

Petunia had to stay at the Ministry to oversee the coordination of the magical and mundane emergency services from Saint Mungo's and local hospitals and other departments. Vernon offered to go in with her to help out with the expected flood of phone calls and whatever else that may need to be done.

During a brief tea break, Vernon commented drily that after this storm it ought to be easy to find where all the new muggleborn children would be. Petunia raised an eyebrow at her husband while sipping on her tea before gesturing to the stack of boxes filled with information packets.

"Already thought of that, dear. That's what all those packets are for. It's funny, the accounting department was curious as to why I suddenly started requested huge amounts of resources outside of my norm. When I replied that it was in preparation for an event yet unseen, I was laughed at."

Vernon grunted in bemusement, "Who's laughing now, eh?"

* * *

The winds howled and the manor quaked every now and then from the force of the gales and gusts that not even the ever-present and powerful wards could repel. Fear was visible in the eyes of the kids at the Manor but thanks to the distractions provided by the parents and the elves, they managed to get through the storm with minimal effort. Dudley spent the day with his cousin and friends in both the manor and greenhouses. They were forbidden to go outside for any reason unless it was in the company of an adult. "I don't want you to get hurt by any fallen debris," James had replied when asked, "I strengthened the manor's wards and the grounds as best I could but given how strong that cyclone was, I'm not sure as to how well things held up."

Seeing how nervous and upset Dudley was, Harry relinquished command of 'Captain Kid' to Dudley and they whiled the time in the greenhouse as part of an expeditionary team hunting for the 'Lost Treasure of the Chocolate Biscuits.'

* * *

As it turned out, the wards held up just fine despite the heavy bombardment of wind, rain and flying debris. Hermione was worried about her house and mostly stayed with her parents for mental security until Harry managed to coax her to come play in the game room. It was around noon that Friday when Dan finally got up the courage to check on his house and flooed home.

The Potter fireplace flared green as Dan's head appeared in the flames. The look of relief suggested that things were alright or as close to alright as things could get.

"Everything alright there, Dan?" James asked as Dan straightened up after being given permission to come through. Dan nodded, "Yeah, most of the damage to the house is cosmetic. The roof is sound and only missing a couple of tiles while the gazebo that we had is missing entirely. That giant oak tree that the kids loved playing on has toppled over. Oh, the windows are for the most part fine but I will probably have to get them checked."

"What about the interior?"

"A few things were either knocked off shelves or the walls but the floor is dry and no visible damage. There's some moderate cracks in the plasterboard but nothing fell out. The power is out so the food in the refrigerator and freezer will need to be dealt with soon."

James looked relieved and clapped his friend on the shoulder, "This calls for a round of brandy, you think?"

Dan smiled back, "Definitely."

* * *

_**At Peverell Castle, location unknown…** _

The storm raged overhead yet no notice was taken by the inhabitants of the castle and its compound. If anything, the training took on an even more intense turn as the students were forced to undergo their physical instructions in the driving winds and rain. There were many accidents ranging from pulled muscles to severely broken bones yet as always, medical treatment was sparse and only given in a life-threatening situation.

During the night when they were in bed and trying to fall asleep despite the noise coming from outside, there was one young child who remained awake. Number thirteen was awake and plotting though he was holding out hope that the storm would blow down the castle and end their suffering.

' _I need to escape!'_ Thirteen thought feverishly as he painfully rolled over onto his side to relieve the aches and pains from today's lessons. _'I need to find a way to escape this hell on Earth and warn others that Dumbledore lives!'_

* * *

The evening of the next Monday, Petunia got home and dropped bonelessly onto her favorite chair in the living room. She was worn out beyond belief after spending all day coordinating with magical and non-magical emergency services. On top of all that, she assisted her staff in contacting the parents or guardians of the newly discovered muggleborn children. Some of them had responded with relief that there was an explanation as to why strange things happened around their kids whenever they were emotional. Others had responded with fear; it was understandable to an extent, after all there was still a large percentage of the population who were deeply religious.

Fortunately for those families, there were programs in place to help them adjust to the new normal or barring that, they had the option of having their memories wiped or entering a child exchange program where their magical children would be swapped for a Squib in the magical world. If they went that route, the families would have their memories and documentation altered to integrate the swap.

It wasn't perfect, not by a long shot as there was always a chance that the Muggle Liaison Office would miss someone in the swap but by the most part, it did work. If asked, the MLO would reply that, "Yes, the mundane government is aware of said program and actively works with us to coordinate a carefully researched and executed plan." That was usually enough to calm the tempers of angry or scared parents from both sides of the divide.

Petunia was roused from her introspection by the arrival of a cup of strong cinnamon tea and a plate of freshly cut fruit. She took the offered items and smiled up at Vernon who had a concerned look on his face.

"Don't worry about me, Vernon. It's just been a busy day, not unlike that time years ago when I coordinated the emergency services during that bombing at my old high school."

Vernon slowly nodded his acceptance, "I'm always here for you, you know that? I'm going to go get dinner started so rest up for a while."

"What are we having?" she asked as she repositioned herself on the chair and moved the ottoman over.

"Lamb chops, mint sauce, roasted veggies and some wine I picked up today," Vernon replied from the kitchen.

Petunia smiled to herself as she leant back in her chair and sipped at her tea. _'I love my darling husband and my wonderful life.'_

* * *

**Saturday 31 October 1987 Peverell Castle, Undisclosed location**

Thirteen spent what little free time he had during the late night when everyone was ostensibly sleeping. He checked through his meager belongings that were hidden below a loose floorboard under his bed to make sure that his plans were on schedule. _'Everything is as set as I can make it. I'll wait until the guards make their shift change in an hour then slip through the wards via the drainage tunnels. I got my body double all ready to be discovered in the morning. I just hope it'll be convincing enough and I truly am sorry for the next poor sod who gets stolen from their family to replace me.'_

Unbeknownst to Thirteen, another was awake and monitoring the situation. Peter had been growing doubtful of his place in life ever since Dumbledore had started ordering children be taken from their families to be trained to serve the Greater Good. He was aware of the efforts made by Thirteen and in some small way, had been helping the boy find the materials and tools needed to escape.

Thirteen slid out of the end of the disgusting drainage pipe and into a muddy and murky puddle of who knew what. He quickly grabbed his bag and dashed to the treeline as fast as his legs could carry him. Breathing hard, he chanced a glance around before turning and pulling up short at the sound of a cracking twig. There standing before him was Peter, the Master's right hand procurement officer. While not sadistic or cruel as some of the guards or the Headmaster himself, Peter was not cuddly either. Thirteen let out a sob of despair as visions of horrendous pain and a lingering death ran through his mind. His tears were put on hold however when Peter held out a large bag.

"Here, take this and head out over the southern hills. The wards in that region took a pounding from the recent storm and won't be fully back online for another week."

Thirteen held back warily trying to sense a trap as his training kicked in. Peter sighed and put the bag on the ground before backing up.

"To answer your unasked question, I'm helping you escape so you can get help to end this fiasco. I should've known how crazy the Headmaster was when I first met him but that is neither here nor there. I've packed some emergency rations, a large knife, a spare tent and a couple of blankets. That should be enough to get you to the closest town about 50 miles from here. Once you're there, ask to use a telephone to contact Petunia Dursley. I've left her phone number and address in the bag. Tell her your story and you'll be saved. I'm also including the written location of the castle for added protection. Now go."

Peter watched dispassionately as Thirteen inched forward, grabbed the bag and ran off towards the southern hills. As he headed back to the castle, a memory surfaced of the wording from a prophecy he'd overheard.

' _The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…'_


	20. Chapter 20

**Monday 4 January 1988: Discovery**

Fear. That's what Thirteen was feeling yet he was outwardly showing no emotions. All those years of torment and training with the sadistic and cruel teachers at Peverell Castle saw to that. Every sound from a twig snapping, the whisper of a breeze in the trees, an animal call in the distance caused Thirteen's pulse to race and his blood pound in his ears. He'd spent nearly a month on the run, heading hopefully towards salvation and rescue. He had traversed some of the steepest terrain he'd ever encountered and nearly died several times from slipping down a steep slope. He maintained what little hope he could muster late at night when he was wrapped up in his bedroll supposedly resting in the wizarding tent hidden amongst the brush and tree line. He dared not light a fire at night, fearing that the light might be seen by whoever was ostensibly hunting him.

He'd found a small stream that emptied out into a rather large lake. After refilling his water bottle, he spotted a nearby sign that told him that he was near the recreation village of Glenridding and that the nearest large town was about a week's worth of hard hiking towards the northeast.

' _I wonder if I could just steal a boat? Nah, that would draw attention and frankly, I don't know the first thing about sailing.'_

Thirteen found a paper map of the lake and its surrounding features and folded it up and stuffed into his pocket. He had arrived just after daybreak so there wasn't anyone else around nor were the shops and stalls open. He was curious about some of the things he saw, like the cars and some of the other modern conveniences. The television that was playing on a loop mystified him. Quickly shaking himself out of his reverie, Thirteen continued along A592 in what he hoped was the most direct route to the town of Penrith.

* * *

That evening, after fixing up a cold can of soup mixed with some fresh vegetables and other small interesting ingredients he'd stolen out of a house along the road, he settled in and began running a mental list of his supplies and what other plans that would need to be made.

' _I wish I had something to draw with. It's been so long since I was able to do anything creative that didn't get quickly obliterated and cause me pain.'_

He poked around in his knapsack which he'd filled with easily available items pilfered from around Glenridding. He examined a small transistor radio for a moment thinking that he might be able to get some freedom to listen to music one of these days. He examined a book of survival tips and tricks he'd found on a bookshelf. He was interested to see that there was an entire chapter on building hidden fires. He plopped the map onto the small table next to him and found at the bottom of the bag a packet of mixed broken crayons and a thick black marker.

' _Aha! I can use this. Now, what can I draw on?'_ He glanced around him before noticing that the walls of the tent were devoid of any sort of markings. _'Works for me, I can start at one end and draw out my journey from enslavement to freedom so that way if I get captured away from my shelter, there'll be some kind of record that I was here.'_

* * *

The next morning, Thirteen checked his traps and water catchment pit for any changes. He risked a short run to the woods to where he had set up a toilet trench and on the way back, checked one of his outlier traps. This one had success, there was a dead squirrel hanging from the line. He let a small smile grow on his face, "Ah, good. Breakfast." That survivalist book had come in handy more than once. He learned that there _was_ a method to build a cooking fire that hid the light from the flames and the smoke was practically nonexistent.

After quickly and efficiently skinning and gutting the squirrel, he fished out his remaining spices and dabbed it on the meat before setting it up to be cooked. He puttered around whilst also checking to make sure the meat didn't burn.

' _If I wasn't being hunted down, I'd think that I was having a good time.'_ He mused morbidly to himself.

He decided to take the day to replenish his stocks and check his tools for undue wear and tear. He sharpened the knife that Wormtail had given him, shook out his bedroll and swept the inside of the tent to get rid of debris. He found and harvested a swath of grasses to make cordage and contemplated what he could either find, steal, or hunt to make baskets. He really didn't spend too long in one spot especially this close to where he remembered the perimeter of the castle was but he was in need of more containers to hold the food and supplies he was sure to find on his journey to Penrith.

* * *

As the sun rose higher into the sky, Thirteen found a convenient perch on a rock that overlooked the large and curved lakeside he was sort of following. To his left and hugging the shoreline was the road that, according to the map, encircled the lake. To his disappointment, there weren't any fish to be had within easy reach. Given how it was deep winter also meant that hunting anything larger than maybe a rabbit was going to be nigh on impossible. The slight breeze teased his hair and dried the little sheen of sweat on his brow. There was a hint of a smell of wood smoke in the distance back towards Glenridding. He pulled out a scrap of parchment from his pocket and continued to scribble down his attempts of a letter that he hoped would be delivered to Petunia Dursley. He knew the basics of what he wanted to convey but lacked the vocabulary to really do it justice.

_To: Petunia Dursley_

_I am called Thirteen and I need your help. I have escaped from the evil man everyone here in the castle refers to as 'The Master.' I was told by Overseer Pettigrew, who told me to use the nickname 'Wormtail' to prove that he is someone you and your friends know. I am heading to the town of Penrith and will be there hopefully within the next couple of days. I have information on how to find The Master and how to get into the castle grounds._

_Come quickly and with as large an army as you can get._

He subconsciously checked his spelling and grammar even though there weren't any teachers around to punish him if he made a mistake.

* * *

_**Two days later…** _

Thirteen was hunting for fresh game near the outskirts of the town of Stainton when he heard the sound of human voices.

"The brat's got to be around here somewhere. The Master figures he's heading towards the nearest muggle settlement and this is the most direct path," one gruff voice ground out.

The second voice, just as gravelly questioned the first, "Do you really think that he'd make this far? Is there any proof that he's still alive? That last cold spell nearly froze my nose off."

Thirteen froze in fear, all thoughts of moving an inch fled from his mind. His blood pressure spiked and he tried as best he could to limit his hard breathing. He knew those voices. They belonged to two of the meaner guards from the castle; the ones that were in charge of their outside survival training.

"Aye, he's one of the brats that survived our training cycle, didn't he? Besides, are you questioning our Master's knowledge?" He was heard spitting on the ground.

"No, I'm not questioning our Master. I ain't stupid, I'm just curious as to how he knows that…what's his number, would even head in this direction?"

"No clue though I did overhear him telling Wormtail that the enchanted rods that were embedded within each of the kids' skin haven't failed yet and those would only do so if the kid croaked."

The two men headed off away from Thirteen's location but he remained there for another few minutes just to make sure. He examined his hands, arms, legs and every other part of his body to see if he could figure out where this 'enchanted rod' would be but didn't find anything. He decided to pack up his stuff after the interrupted hunting trip and prepare to move on again.

He figured that if he made it to the town center by the end of the week, he might be able to contact someone to call this Petunia Dursley and get protection from the Headmaster.

Unfortunately, that's not what happened…

Thirteen had fallen down a slippery slope just outside Stainton and tumbled head over feet into a wooden fence along the property line of a house. He was fortunate enough that the owner was home, at least…

* * *

Thirteen awoke a day later in what appeared to be a hospital room. His breathing increased and he began to sweat. He didn't see his pack or his weapons nor was he wearing his clothes. He and his cohorts never received medical help unless it was life threatening; just what were his injuries after that tumble down the cliff? He tried to get out of bed but found that there was a railing around the edge that prevented him from moving too much. As he peered around the room trying to take stock of his situation, the door opened and a nurse walked in.

Giving him a warm smile she quietly spoke to him, "Ah, I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Thirteen didn't know how to respond to this sort of interaction, the healer at the castle never asked him how he felt after getting treatment. His wide-eyed look of near panic must have said enough because the nurse just nodded silently and looked over a chart hanging on a hook at the end of his bed.

"Everything seems to be fine with you so far aside from us not knowing who you are or how you came to be out here." She tilted her head in question, "Would you please tell me your name?"

Thirteen swallowed nervously before quietly responding, "Thirteen."

The nurse looked up at him, puzzled, "Is that your name? Thirteen?" The boy nodded slowly. "Okay… how about where you lived before?"

A flash of fear again made its appearance. The nurse just held her tongue and let the boy come to a decision as to whether or not to answer.

"I lived in a tent. I escaped."

"When you were brought in, a letter to a Petunia Dursley was found in your pocket. Do you know this person?" Thirteen shook his head no. "Would you like for me to contact this person?" Thirteen nodded slowly again.

After a few more medically related questions, the nurse gave him a tray of simple food and a glass of milk before leaving the room. He waited until she left before examining the tray and food. His sensitive nose didn't detect any known poisons or potions but that didn't mean anything. He picked up the sandwich and examined the bread, having never seen white bread before. Taking a small bite and carefully chewing, he accepted that it was safe and bolted down the rest of the sandwich before moving onto the next item.

A minute examination of the juice container later and he figured out how to open it. Again, he took his time to examine the juice for any signs of contamination before swallowing. The cup and shiny covering was placed next to him to be saved for future use. He hid the apple that came with the meal behind him and wondered where he could hide the tray.

* * *

Outside in the nurses' station, a couple of bobbies and an investigator stood in a huddle trying to make sense of the contents of Thirteen's bag. It seemed impossibly deep despite it being an ordinary looking bag on the outside. Once the contents were laid out on the table, the investigator poked through a journal found amongst the debris and equipment. He was confused by the scribbling and sketches of fantastical creatures and what appeared to be tips and tricks to perform magic. The map of Ullswater Lake was examined, the boy's notes and scribbling examined. The stolen book was discovered, examined and found to have a bookplate affixed to the inside back cover. The investigator made a note to contact the owner. He discovered the letter and made a note to contact this Petunia Dursley at some place called the 'Ministry for Magic.'

' _Kid's got one heck of an imagination. Strangely enough, it almost seems…structured, like there's an actual school that teaches this stuff.'_ He shook his head to clear his mind of such silly thoughts before he turned back to one of the bobbies who had finished setting up the tent and poked his head in. The man pulled back out with a look of wonder before disappearing inside. It took another ten minutes before the bobby reappeared, surprising everyone else.

"You've _got_ to see this! I swear it's larger on the inside than out," the man exclaimed.

The inspector and the other bobby ducked under the open flap and felt their mouths drop open. All three looked at each other in surprise; a similar thought running through each of their minds.

' _Just what the heck is going on here?'_

* * *

_**Muggle Liaison Department, Petunia Dursley's Office, same day…** _

Petunia was just finishing up a report covering the latest request coming in from 10 Downing Street. It seemed that the Prime Minister's niece was showing signs of being magical and the PM needed a guide to go over their options.

Just then the green phone rang. Petunia's hand slid over and lifted the receiver and put it to her ear. "Interdepartmental Switchboard, how may I direct your call?"

The voice on the other end sounded kind of warbly, "Um…hello, my name is Inspector Givens and I'm trying to find Petunia Dursley about a matter of…magic?"

Petunia dropped the report and reached for a notepad and pen, "This is Petunia Dursley. How can I help you Inspector Givens?"

She could practically hear the relief in Inspector Givens voice, "I'm here in the community hospital of Penrith in Cumbria and we have a young boy that had a slip of some strange paper that had your information on it along with an incredible knapsack and other weird stuff. When questioned, the boy responded that he was instructed by someone named 'Wormtail' to get ahold of you as soon as possible and has requested asylum."

Petunia froze. _'Wormtail?'_ She hadn't heard that nickname in nearly a decade. She instructed the inspector to stay on the line while she got someone to head up to his location to deal with the situation. Diving for her communications mirror and she called for Lily.

The mirror connected but instead of Lily, she got Harry. Smiling distractedly, she asked her nephew to put his mum on the line. Harry nodded and for the next minute all she could see was the ceiling bouncing as he carried the mirror to wherever his mum was in the house. Petunia could hear the short interaction between the two and finally Lily's face appeared.

"What's up, Tunie?"

"I'm going to need wand backup. I've got an inspector up in Cumbria that says there's a boy with him who had gotten instructions from Wormtail to contact me."

The look of surprise spilled over Lily's face and her mouth dropped open before it was replaced with concern, "Do you have any other information? Shouldn't you contact the Aurors?"

"If it was Peter himself there then, yes but it's just a young boy with information and supposedly requesting asylum."

Lily nodded, "Okay, tell the inspector that you'll be up there as soon as possible and I'll get James and the others. We'll floo to you and we can take a portkey."

"Deal, I'll contact Josie in the Travel Department and get one ASAP. See you in ten minutes?"

"If not sooner. Bye, Tunie."

Petunia hung up with her sister and turned back to the phone call with the inspector. She informed him not to touch anything that belonged to the boy and not to worry. She and a few of her acquaintances would be there as soon as they could.

Five minutes later, the floo activated and deposited Lily, James, Remus and Severus in the outer office. When she asked where Sirius was, Lily said that he was going to be watching over Harry and his friends in case of an emergency. Petunia finished with her call with Josie in Travel and got the requested portkey.

* * *

**Penrith Community Hospital, Cumbria**

The team arrived outside the hospital in a flurry of magical energy and quickly headed inside to the nurses' station. They got their directions and found the inspector and a bobby just outside the room that held Thirteen. The two men were going over their notes and looked up as they approached.

"Petunia Dursley?" Petunia held her hand up and badge, "I'm Inspector Givens, thank you for coming so quickly."

"What else can you tell me about the situation?"

Inspector Givens pulled out his notes and consulted them, "Well, the boy was found early this morning unconscious after falling down a hill and hitting a fence, covered in scratches and showing past signs of severe abuse. He was wearing some strange clothes that looked like something out of a fantasy novel and a large knapsack that if you could believe it, was deeper inside than should've been possible. When he was brought in, we separated him from his belongings. The bobbies here set up his stuff in a room to your left here. There's what appears to be a small tent though this tent must've been made by the same people who made the knapsack because it's bigger on the inside."

* * *

James tapped Remus and Severus on their arms and led them to where the room with the tent was. Inside, they found the two bobbies and a couple of orderlies examining the gear and tent again.

"Gentlemen? What have you got here?" James asked authoritatively.

"Who're you?"

Motioning to the three of them, "James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Severus Snape. We are part of the team that your Inspector Givens requested." The bobbies nodded and waved them over.

"It's really unusual; I've never seen stuff like this. It's almost like something out of those fantasy novels. Heck, the tent reminds me of the TARDIS!"

* * *

While James and the others were going over the physical evidence, Petunia and Lily were ushered into the room that held Thirteen.

Petunia slowly and carefully opened the door and peeked inside. She could see the boy curiously examining a television remote. She quietly slid inside and chuckled to herself when the boy jumped as the television set turned on suddenly.

"Hi, there. Here, let me turn that off for you." She turned off the television set with a deft press of the button and silence resumed in the room, "Amazing bit of muggle technology isn't it?"

The boy just stared at her before he near whispered, "Petunia Dursley?"

She nodded in affirmation, "That's me. What's your name?"

"Thirteen."

"Okay, Thirteen. Why don't we start at the beginning? What brings you here?"

Thirteen nervously glanced over at Lily before snapping his attention back to Petunia. Lily smiled softly at him and introduced herself.

The boy stared at her for a moment, a tear threatened to escape his left eye as he began to tell her everything. Petunia could only look on in horror as the boy told her who it was that held him and his cohorts and where the castle was located. He tried to tell her about what life was like for he and the others but kept choking up in tears then faded off into what psychologists would dub the 'thousand yard stare.' She reached out to take his hand only to pull back when he jerked it away in fear.

"Did…Did you get my letter?" Thirteen asked quietly breaking the silence in the room.

Petunia shook her head, "Not yet. After you were brought here, the inspector found the letter then called me. Was there something important in the letter I should know about?"

Thirteen shook his head, "Not really. It was just a plea to get you to meet with me so I can tell you the location of where I and some other kids are being held."

"You mentioned Wormtail, who is he to you?"

"He's the Overseer to the castle. He's the one the adults go to get supplies and materials to teach us kids what we need to know so we can better serve the 'Greater Good' and Headmaster Dumbledore."

Lily made a soft growling noise at the mention of the 'Greater Good' but froze when she heard the name of Dumbledore.

Thirteen continued with his explanation and description of the castle, its location and what went on there since as far back as he could remember. He trailed off as the memories rushed up on him and his eyes turned glassy.

Petunia thanked the boy for his patience and explanations then told him to rest and that she and Lily would be making preparations to transfer him to another hospital. As they were leaving, Lily glanced around her at the orderlies and other hospital staff.

"Do you need to call in the Obliviators?"

Petunia shook her head, "No. Not for this, too much has happened for them to be called in safely. All we can do is hope they don't go spreading the news too much."

"You don't seem too worried."

Petunia shrugged, "They're professionals, and they know when they need to keep quiet."

* * *

As they were packing everything up and making preparations to have Thirteen transferred to Saint Mungo's, the inspector came over with the two bobbies flanking him. All three had stern looks on their faces.

"Just tell me that poor boy will be getting the care he needs and that his friends will be rescued as well," the inspector near snarled.

"I promise that we'll do whatever it takes to make sure that this situation is resolved quickly." Petunia reassured the men.

One of the bobbies spoke up, "If'n you need anything, you come let us know. I've got some military experience and can provide support if it's required."

As the group portkeyed away, the three men glanced at each other as if to say _'how are you going to write this one up?'_

* * *

**Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies**

The incoming portkey activated an alarm located at the Welcome Witch's station. Nurse Pemberton stood and got a clipboard ready to take notes. When the swirling magic cleared, Petunia, Severus and Lily stood up straight and readjusted their hold on the terrified boy wearing a hospital gown with them. James and Remus reactivated the portkey and swirled away again.

"Welcome to Saint Mungo's. My name is Nurse Pemberton and I'll need some information about the nature of the medical emergency."

"Hello Nurse Pemberton, my name is Lily Potter. This is Director Petunia Dursley, Severus Snape and our friend, Thirteen. Thirteen's a Code Purple."

Nancy's eyes widened at the mention of the special code; that was the one for an abused child.

She nodded in response and motioned for the trio to follow her, "Okay then, just follow me and I'll get you set up in a room before we speak any further. Any bleeding that I need to be aware of?"

"None that we've seen."

The trio was led into a pleasant looking room that had a table and a couple of comfortable padded chairs, an examination bed and a bookcase with age appropriate books. The walls were painted a calming yellow with magical animals that pranced about. The sunlight shown through a window on one wall.

Thirteen was directed to take a seat on the bed while the nurse cast some diagnostic charms on him. Lily hovered nearby while Severus took up station near the door. Petunia had commandeered a fireplace to contact her office and the Department of Mysteries.

A floating quill and parchment took up position next to the nurse and wrote out the results as she cast her charms. Both adults could see her features take on an almost expressionless cast as the information appeared on the parchment. Whatever it said, it wasn't good.

Lily pulled out the diagnostics and test results that the staff at the Penrith hospital had done and handed it off to Nurse Pemberton.

"I don't know if you can use these but I figured every little bit can help."

Nurse Pemberton glanced at the records and nodded. They weren't exactly what she was used to but like Lily said, they provided information about the boy.

* * *

_**Department of Magical Law Enforcement, same time…** _

James and Remus appeared in a similar fashion that the others did and were escorted to an empty room to deposit Thirteen's belongings. Waiting for them was Amelia Bones, recently promoted to the position of Head Auror.

"James, Remus; what have you got for us?"

Remus quickly filled her in on the situation while James started laying everything out on the available tables and floor. The tent was set up and the knapsack was emptied out just as the forensic team arrived. Amelia gave the team their orders and to give their reports directly to her and not to speak of it to anyone else. The team leader nodded his understanding and they got to work.

In the meantime, she led the two men back to her office for a quick chat.

"James? Remus told me the basics, what else can you tell me? Do you think there's any chance that Dumbledore can be caught this time?"

James sighed as he sank into his chair, "I think so. The kid's terrified out of his mind that we're going to hurt him in some way. You don't need to be a mind reader to see that. I just hope that the folks at Saint Mungo's can get through to him. Heck, if I know Lily, she'll offer her assistance in any way she can."

"What about the information that Peter Pettigrew supposedly gave to the boy? Is that really his handwriting?"

"Yup, that's his alright. I spent seven years with him in school. I'd know that scrawl anywhere."

Amelia took a moment to grab a map of northwestern England to figure out where the kid could've come from and where the coordinates listed on the scrap of parchment indicated the castle could be found.

"The coordinates indicate that the Peverell castle can be found in a valley in one of these forests. This is going to take time…"

Remus motioned to James, "Isn't your family related to the Peverells?"

James shrugged, "Probably. Our family's old enough to be related to nearly half of the Wizengamot. Doesn't mean that I know where the castle is supposed to be." Remus leant back in his chair as he continued to think.

Amelia eyed the two, "Could you please check your family records? I'll take any advantage I can use?"

Again, James shrugged and agreed to look into it.

* * *

_**Back at Saint Mungo's…** _

Petunia finished her calls and headed into the room where Lily, Thirteen and the Nurse were. She mentioned to the two adults that the Unspeakables were on their way to run an assessment on the boy to determine if there was anything else that could be used.

Lily frowned, "They're not going to hurt him, are they?"

"I doubt it. Probably just run some higher level diagnostics and extract some memories. I suggested they bring along a Mind Healer as heaven knows, the boy needs one."

The Unspeakable team arrived fifteen minutes later and began to set up their equipment. During all that, Thirteen sat unmoving and surprisingly unemotional about some of the scarier looking devices.

The three adults were led away by the Unspeakable Team Leader.

"Is there anything else you need to tell us before we begin?" The UTL asked.

Nurse Pemberton shook her head, "You have the diagnostic report I ran plus the documentation from the muggle hospital."

"In that case, you are free to go back to your duties." Nurse Pemberton nodded to the others and left.

The UTL turned to Petunia and Lily, "What about you two, anything else to add?"

"No, but I'll stick around until you're done in case you need someone to coordinate with the other departments," Petunia replied. Lily said she was going to keep her sister company.

* * *

_**Potter Manor, later that day…** _

The family got together to go over what they'd learned from the information gathered at the DMLE and the hospital. Lily stated that she believed that Thirteen was going to need some sort of hospice care outside of the hospital once the Healers cleared him.

"There's no way that I'd allow him to spend the rest of his days in that place. If you all agree, I would bring him here so he can try and relax and be safe."

James agreed with that with the proviso that the boy be accompanied by an adult at all times until further notice.

"Last thing we need is for the boy to hurt himself or Harry. That's another thing we'll need to deal with. You and I need to speak with Harry about the possibility of getting a house guest."

"If need be, I could take him back to our house. He seems to trust me more since it was me that he's been searching for," Petunia offered.

Vernon arrived with Dudley in tow just then. In his hands were a couple of boxes of take-away food. Greetings were given and Dudley grabbed a couple of the boxes and went in search of his cousin.

As they settled in to eat, Vernon asked what the status of the child was so Petunia filled him in. He shook his head and commented that it was almost a repeat of events like what happened back in eighty one when Harry was dropped off on their porch. He agreed with his wife's offer to take the boy in if needed.

"Let's just hope that everything turns out just as well as that did," Severus replied.

* * *

Two weeks later and Thirteen found himself in yet another new situation. The past couple of weeks spent in the hospital were eye-opening for sure. He'd never in his short life experienced such wonderful care and gentle treatment at the hands of an adult before. There were potions to be drunk, exercises to be done and more poking and prodding than he thought could ever be performed. The Unspeakables extracted all the memories he had to offer that covered the location of the castle and what it looked like. When they reviewed some of the experiences the children had to endure, most of the adults had to be given Calming and Anti-Nausea Draughts after hurriedly running for the bathroom. They also found and neutralized the enchanted rod that had been implanted under his skin at the base of his neck.

Eventually, he was told that he'd be spending some time with the family of the people who'd retrieved him from the muggle hospital. Petunia and Lily picked him up from his room at Saint Mungo's and took him via floo to Potter Manor.

* * *

Thirteen arrived at Potter Manor after swirling through the other-dimension maelstrom that was the Floo Network. When he emerged, he glanced back to watch as Lily then Petunia emerge from the fire. Lily greeted her son and Dudley, who was visiting for the day.

"Thirteen? This is my son, Harry and his cousin, Dudley," Lily said as she introduced the two boys. Harry looked puzzled as to why the other boy had a number instead of a name but didn't say anything.

"Mum? Do you want me to show him around?"

Lily smiled warmly at her son, "I think that'd be a wonderful idea, Harry. Just don't go too far away from the house, okay?" Harry nodded, lightly slugged Dudley on the arm and led Thirteen deeper into the manor.

* * *

James was holed up in the Master's Study looking through the family grimoire trying to find any information that could help the DMLE and the family as well regarding the Peverells and their castle. It was tough going because a lot of the writing in the book was fragmented and what was legible was in old English or ancient Welch. He looked up at the sound of the door opening and spotted his wife entering the room.

"Ah, good you're here. Do you know of any translation charms that can convert ancient English/Welch to modern English?"

Lily scrunched up her nose in thought before shaking her head no, "Not off hand though I will, however, go through the library. I'm sure there's got to be something there. How time critical is it?"

"Pretty high up there, I found some references to the Peverell family and their castle. I need to dissemble it and get it to Amelia as soon as possible."

Nodding her understanding, she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek and headed off to the library.

* * *

Harry led Thirteen up to his room, Dudley trailing behind. The understated opulence of the manor seemingly impressed their visitor. The three boys entered Harry's room and each settled into a chair ringing around a wooden table.

"Have you already had tea yet?" Harry asked the quiet boy, "I could call to have one of the elves bring up some with sandwiches?"

Thirteen was quiet only because he was so scared. Everything was so new to him, even after the two weeks of that wonderful hospital care. Now, to be welcomed into Lily's son's room only increased his fear that they were going to make him a slave or something. When Harry asked his question, Thirteen could only dumbly shake his head.

"I…I'm okay, thank you."

"I'll take a Butterbeer, if there's any that's cold," Dudley said as he picked at a fingernail while glancing at Thirteen.

Harry perked up, "Perfect. I doubt you've had that, right?" Thirteen shook his head, "Well, alright then. Poppy!"

There was a quiet pop and Poppy the Elf appeared. The diminutive female elf looked up at her Master's son with questioning eyes.

Harry smiled happily, "Hey, Poppy. I was wondering if you'd be so kind to bring up three cold Butterbeers, please?"

Poppy nodded and vanished; the drinks appeared on the table a moment later. Harry called out to the room in general and thanked her.

Dudley picked up his bottle and popped the top off. He motioned to Thirteen to do the same and grinned at the boy's reaction when he took a sip and coughed.

"Don't worry, it's not really alcoholic. What is there is mostly for flavor. So… Thirteen. Why Thirteen?"

Thirteen shrugged, "It's the number I was given when the Headmaster and the Overseer rescued me from the miserable muggle life I'd been living in."

Harry and Dudley frowned. "You don't remember anything from before? Do you remember your parents?"

Thirteen thought for a moment before shaking his head sadly, "No, nothing. All I know is what I was told and even then, it wasn't nice things."

"Well, that stinks. Okay, you're out of there now and you have a chance to make things better from now on," Dudley replied with a slight sneer, "But I don't think I can keep calling you Thirteen. You got any ideas, Harry?"

Harry scratched his jaw and scrunched up his nose as he thought about a new name for their new guest, "Thirteen… Thirty… Teen… Ooh, I got it! How about Dean? It's close enough to 'teen' which could be considered a nickname that you'd recognize it but still be a real name when you get a new family."

Thirteen thought about that, "How do you know that I'd be adopted by a new family?"

Harry chuckled, "If I know my parents and my aunt, they're going to be working hard to find you a set of parents within a month."

Thirteen smiled shyly, "I'd like that too," He straightened up in his chair, "Okay, I think I'd like the name you suggested. Dean, it is."

* * *

The next morning, the newly named Dean was re-introduced to Lily and Petunia while being introduced for the first time to Remus, Sirius, and Severus. Vernon made an appearance later in the day.

Dean was amazed by the amount and quality of food that was presented to him that morning. Foods he'd never even heard of like waffles, pancakes, and Fruit Loops with real milk!

The morning paper had been delivered by owl and sectioned out to those who requested it. Harry got the comic section; Sirius got the business section and Severus taking the front page. Dean watched silently as he ate, not wanting to appear rude or ungrateful. When Lily asked him which section he wanted, Dean's eyes widened and could only shake his head. Harry nudged him arm and offered to share his section which cause his mother to smile proudly.

"So, Harry? What do you and Dean have planned for today?"

Swallowing his mouthful of cereal, Harry replied that he had planned on inviting Hermione and Neville over to meet Dean and then go where the winds took them.

James nodded sagely, "Okay but don't go wandering too far and stay out of the family history section of the library. I'll be working there and I don't want to be distracted."

Harry grunted, "The only reason why I'd even go in there would be to drag Hermione out to have some quality play time." Severus chuckled at that.

"She's going to be quite the handful when she gets to Hogwarts. I wonder if Hogwarts is even going to be ready for what awaits it when you three go?"

Harry looked puzzled, "Three? Don't you mean four?"

Lily put her fork down and looked in her son's eyes, "I'm sorry honey but Dudley won't be able to go to Hogwarts. The rules are quite clear on this. If a child doesn't have any magic, they can't go."

Harry's mouth dropped open in horror, "But… But… That's not fair! Where's he supposed to go then?"

"He will be attending Stonewall High School near where they live in Surrey. He'll still be able to study non-wanded magic, Harry. It'll be just like what your Aunt Petunia did for her magical education. She went to muggle school and learned the magical stuff on her own at home. As a matter of fact, his education will be better than hers simply because he'll have her as a teacher."

"Will he be angry at me because I get to go to Hogwarts?"

Lily tried to smooth down the rat's nest that was Harry's hair, "Not at all, Harry. You know that we would never let anything get between the two of you."

Dean could only sit there and watch in amazement at the interaction between Lily and Harry. Never would something like this have happened in the castle. If an adult told you something, that was it. There was no explanation as to why or promises that it would be better than before. Deep within his mind, some memory pinged on the byplay going on and left him with a bit of longing for him to want to be comforted by his mum.

* * *

Hermione and Neville arrived just past eleven in the morning with a dignified grace as they stepped out of the floo. Harry grimaced at the thought of his usual style of 'landings' then shook off the memories.

"Hey, guys! Thanks for stopping by. I got a new house guest I want you to meet."

Hermione finished dusting herself off then wrapped Harry up in a strong 'Hermi-hug.' "Thanks for inviting me, Harry."

Neville responded similarly though without the hug, "Yeah, thanks Harry. Mum and dad were practically ready to toss me through."

Harry scrunched his face up in confusion, "Really? I would've thought they'd have to drag you out of your greenhouse, Neville while Hermione would've had to been dragged away from her books? Speaking of which, Hermione; My dad says that we're not to go into the library today. He's doing some important work in there and doesn't want to be disturbed."

Hermione laid a gimlet eye on her best friend, "Is that what he _really_ said, Harry? Or is that what you're hoping?"

Harry held his hands up in supplication, "I swear! He said not to go in there."

She just huffed in exasperation, "Fine but you better have one heck of an adventure planned out for today."

* * *

Harry led his friends back up to his room where Dudley and Dean were waiting. Dean was busy scribbling away using some colored pencils while Dudley stood nearby with a look of amazement on his face. Both boys glanced up as they entered though it was Dean who scrambled to his feet and backed away from the table with a look of fear in his eyes.

"Whatcha' doing there, Dean?"

"I let him borrow your colored pencils, Harry. He mentioned that he loved to draw so…" supplied Dudley since it looked like Dean was incapable of speech at that moment. The boy's hands were visibly shaking.

Harry smiled placatingly at Dean, "Don't worry about it, Dean. You're welcome to use anything in here."

"You… you're sure?" At Harry's nod of acceptance, Dean visibly relaxed and retook his chair. Hermione came up from his side and took a look at what the new boy was drawing.

"Wow, this is really good! Where is this?" she softly exclaimed.

Dean shyly and quietly replied that it was the Ullswater Lake near where he'd been rescued from.

In an effort to dispel the sudden melancholy mood and cheer everyone up, Harry suggested that they go out to the tree house and play some games.

* * *

By the time that spring had sprung into the United Kingdom, Dean had made great strides in his rehabilitation. He still got the occasional nightmare but the weekly counseling sessions helped order his mind and got him to open up about his fears and feelings. The Unspeakables had gone through all of the memories that they had extracted from the boy's mind as well as the notes and scribbles that he'd left in the journal and the inside of the tent's walls. Plans were underway to storm the castle and liberate the children within while arresting the adults (though just killing the adults weren't completely off the table). Dean had relearned how to smile happily and was even known to crack a joke or two. He would always be a quiet child but hopefully would grow out of it by the time his Hogwarts letter arrived.

Lily had worried that with Dean's past that he'd get Sorted into Slytherin but Petunia assured her that the old mentalities of the Houses, especially Slytherin, wouldn't be an issue by the time their kids went there. Even Minerva McGonagall, the Headmistress of the school since Dumbledore's downfall, assured her that any dissension or attempts to 'bring back the old ways' would be met with strong discipline and censure.

True to Harry's prediction, both his mother and aunt had worked vigorously to find a foster family for Dean. It was the week before Easter when Dean left Potter Manor to live with his new family. He even got to take their last name, seeing as how he didn't know his old one.

He was now Dean Thomas and he was happy.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rides at Disneyland listed are those I remember going on about two years ago. I won't list the truly modern ones but if I miss or inadvertently add one; don't blame me, blame the internet.

**June 1988: We're going to Disneyland!**

With the suggestion from his parents and because he thought it would be a good idea anyhow, Harry started writing to Dean to keep in touch with the abused boy's recovery and their budding friendship. Their letters were typical of eight year old boys; full of things they'd discovered, people that they found funny or annoying, movies they'd seen, etc. Dean's letters were at the same time sad and funny. Sad that many of the things Harry took for granted were fresh and exciting to the other boy, they were also funny how Dean reacted to them. Case in point…

* * *

_**The Thomas household…** _

Dean woke up bright and early yet stayed in bed luxuriating amongst the fluffy blankets and pillows for as long as he dared. He knew that he had nothing planned nor was he required to-do anything but old habits were hard to break.

' _Back at the castle, I'd be forced to clean the shower area with a ratty old scrub brush if I wanted to eat.'_

Finally, his body demanded that he get up and go about his new morning routine of brushing his teeth, washing his face and putting on some clean clothes. That was another thing that was difficult to get used to in the beginning. Having an abundance of fresh clean clothes that weren't rejects from a scrap bin still blew his mind if he dwelled on it. His heart pinged every now and then when he remembered the others that were still in the castle suffering under the ever watchful sadistic eye of Dumbledore and the other adults.

' _I promise to get you all out of there.'_ He silently vowed as he tugged on a shirt with the picture of a dragon on it. He trotted downstairs and found his new parents sitting around the kitchen table; his new father sipping on a cup of tea while reading the newspaper while his new mum was eating a bowl of cereal. He slipped into the open chair and began building a breakfast of waffles and fresh fruit. _'Another thing that's amazing. Fresh fruit even if I didn't earn it.'_

Rather than the oppressive silence he'd grown up with, the room was practically a cacophony of sounds. There was the television broadcasting the latest news, the sounds of the paper being snapped back into place, the munching sounds coming from his mum as she ate and the slurping sound from his dad as he sipped on his tea.

"Something wrong, Dean?"

Startled out of his introspection, Dean snapped his now wide eyes up to his mum and shook his head quickly.

Smiling warmly, Clara Thomas gently reached out and patted his hand, "Don't worry, son. You're not in trouble, you're safe. What's on your mind?"

"I, it's nothing. I was just comparing how different it all is here compared to back in the castle." Clara nodded understandingly.

His new father, Robert commented that he had a bit of a surprise for Dean when they finished breakfast. Dean cast a curious look at the two adults; both of whom were smiling knowingly. He started eating as fast as he could without making himself sick or looking like a slob.

With the last bite, Robert put down his paper and announced that the family would be taking a trip into London to visit the National Galleries there so Dean could experience the various forms of art and natural beauty. As he was announcing this, Dean's mouth slowly dropped open in shock.

* * *

_**Back at Potter Manor…** _

Harry put down the most recent letter from Dean, the one that described their trip to London to see all the art galleries. Harry didn't understand most of what the other boy had described but was happy that he got to experience all of it anyways. Names like Dega, Da Vinci, Rembrandt and others went over Harry's head yet just from the descriptions it sounded like something that Hermione might enjoy. Harry pulled out a pencil and a sheet of paper to begin writing his return letter. In it, he congratulated his friend on getting out of the house and going off on a grand adventure. He reminded Dean that in about a week, he too would be leaving to go on an adventure to the United States for most of the summer and that he wouldn't be able to reply to his letters until they got back.

* * *

_Dear Dean;_

_Congratulations on getting to go to those art galleries. I'm glad you had fun there even though I'd be bored off my butt. I didn't recognize any of those names you mentioned but they sounded important. I'm writing to you to let you know that my family will be going on a trip of our own to the United States and won't be back until near the end of August._

_Harry_

* * *

_Dear Hermione;_

_I just heard some great news! My family (Potters, Dursleys, my godfather and my two uncles) are going on a summer long vacation to the United States. We're going to be traveling muggle style too, which means I get to fly in an airplane! Mum wanted me to write this letter to you so you wouldn't worry if I don't answer any letters you sent here. I'm packing my journal so I can share everything I do with you and our friends when I get back home._

_I can hardly wait, I'm so excited!_

_Harry_

* * *

**Potter Family America Trip: Day One**

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! If you don't settle down this instant, I swear I'm going to stun you and stuff you into a suitcase!" Severus yelled at his pseudo-nephew. The boy in question was bouncing around the living room and generally getting in everyone's way as they finalized the packing and organizing in order to get to the airport on time.

James watched in pained exasperation, "Remind me again why having a child was such a great idea?" Lily just whapped him on the arm in response as she directed the elves on what to pack in her trunk.

Remus grinned from where he was sitting on the couch as he sipped on a glass of fruit juice, "Could've been worse Prongs. You could've had twins or something." James shuddered theatrically at the thought.

"You all packed up, Remus?" Lily asked as she firmly directed her son out of the room.

"Yup, finished last night. Trunk is shrunk and in my pocket as we speak."

Lily nodded distractedly as she consulted her list, "Petunia and the others ought to be here soon." The moment she finished that sentence, the sound of the floo roared in the background.

"Hey, everyone! You all ready to go yet?" Vernon asked jovially as he entered the room a moment later. Dudley scowled as he dragged his suitcase behind.

"What's wrong, Dudley?" Sirius asked as he came tromping down the stairs.

"Poor dear nearly inhaled a lungful of ash from the floo when he arrived," Petunia sniggered, "I've told him repeatedly not to hold his breath as he went through the network."

"But the network smells strange!" Dudley whined, "There must be a connection to some dump along the way here."

Sirius ruffled the boy's hair, "Don't worry about it, some people are sensitive to the magics within the network vortex. Could've been worse, you could have barfed from the spinning!"

"No way, I wouldn't be able to get on the rides if that happened," Dudley declared, "Where's Harry?"

Sirius shrugged and suggested he look in the boy's room first.

* * *

The group of seven adults and two kids (though even that was debatable depending on who you spoke to) arrived at Heathrow airport and got their bags checked and settled in the lounge to await their flight. Harry, Dudley and Sirius were practically plastered up against the huge floor to ceiling windows watching as various sized aircraft lumbered into the air or landed with a puff of tire smoke. The rumbling sounds from the airplanes' engines could be felt and distantly heard even in the somewhat noisy room.

Severus approached carrying a couple of vials containing something orange-ish, "Boys listen up. I have here a modified sleeping draught that I'm offering to you both that will allow you to sleep on the long flight to California."

Sirius took one of the vials, opened it and sniffed at the contents, "What modifications did you make?"

"Mixed in a mild calming draught and actually made it taste like it looks. That way you won't just knock out like a normal sleeping draught would make you do. I recommend that you take these just after we get up to altitude. The flight will be mostly boring and from what I've heard, the in-flight movies aren't the greatest."

Dudley eyed the potion, "Would we be able to wake up in time for the landing too?"

Severus shrugged, "You will most likely be able to but if not, I can just give you a couple drops of a Wide-eye potion."

Harry scrunched his face up in disgust at the thought of being potioned for the flight, "Did mum put you up to this?"

"Group decision. Your dad is going to be taking one as well so don't think we're picking on you."

* * *

They were boarded in record time (according to Petunia) on the British Airways 747 "jumbo jet" and quickly found their seats. Vernon had expressed surprise that they had decided to shell out the money to take first class (but would later recant that after the long transatlantic flight). The kids would have to share the window seats, Harry got to sit there for the take-off while Dudley would get the landing. Once the doors were shut and sealed, they quietly listened to the safety instructions and made sure that they were secured.

The plane was pushed back from the terminal and began its power up procedures then began taxiing along the tarmac towards the runway. Both Harry's and Dudley's faces were practically glued to the window as the plane bounced along the taxiway. Petunia glanced over at her sister who was calmly examining the in-flight magazine then over at the Marauders. James was digging through a small bag that contained their travel documents; Sirius was looking out the other window while Severus was reading some sort of Potions article in a magazine he'd bought. Vernon leant over and murmured in her ear that everything would be fine and not to worry. She smiled back at her husband and relaxed into her seat.

Both boys were ecstatic as the plane lined up with the runway and throttled up its four massive turbofan engines to a thunderous scream. The plane began its lumbering roll down the runway, the thrust pushing everyone back into their seats. The look on Harry's face suggested that he'd never forget this moment for the rest of his life! This was WAY better than a broom ride! After what seemed like an eternity, the nose began to lift and the wide-body jumbo jet screamed up into the sky. There were a series of bumps and thuds as the landing gear was retracted into the fuselage and they continued their climb up and out of British airspace.

Once the plane leveled off at altitude, Severus got up and checked on both boys to see if they'd destroyed anything yet. To his relief, both seemed to be under the effects of the calming draught already and were on the slide towards unconsciousness. He smirked at the two of them as they leaned in towards one another to get settled in, eyelids drooping heavily.

When Severus got back to his own seat, Lily leaned over and asked about her son.

"They're fine and just about to sack out for the time being," he glanced over at James, "How long ago did he fall asleep?"

Lily glanced at her husband, "Not too long ago. I'm glad that we decided to do this; a cooped up James Potter is not a fun experience. What about Sirius?" Both of them glanced at the other man, who was reading a novel.

Severus shrugged, "I saw him take it, it may take a little bit longer."

A half hour later and Sirius was still wide awake so Severus slid into the adjacent seat.

"I'm surprised you're still awake. Didn't you take the sleeping draught the same as the kids?"

Sirius smirked, "Nope. Faked it so they'd take it without any complaints. I'll just hold onto it if this novel gets boring though."

Severus chuckled and patted the other man on the shoulder. He reached into his own travel bag and pulled out a journal and began writing down ideas he had for a new potion.

* * *

After many hours in the air, the plane began its descent towards the Los Angeles International Airport. The kids had awoken and were excitedly pointing to various landmarks as the plane made its way towards the ground. As the family joined the cattle call for the customs inspection, it was all anyone could do to wrangle an excitable Harry Potter into some sort of order.

James leant down and pulled his son into his arms, "Do I need to remind you that these people are muggles and don't know what to do in case of a magical outburst? You remember what happened the last time you got this excited and we were in town?"

Harry froze and his eyes widened dramatically, "Y-yes. I'm sorry."

"Good lad. Now, hold onto my belt so we don't get separated." James stood again and rejoined the group.

Dudley had a mocking sneer on his face, "You dork."

Harry merely stuck his tongue out in response.

Once the group got out of the terminal, Petunia found and used a telephone to contact her American counterpart to let them know that the family had arrived and was in need of a transport to get to the hotel.

"Are you in a secure area? No other no-mags in the area?"

Petunia glanced around, "No. We're in a private room."

"Okay, we're sending a pair of courtesy elves to assist you. Just tell them where you wish to go and they'll handle it."

"Thank you, you've been very helpful."

Petunia hung up just in time for a pair of smartly dressed elves to appear in front of them. One was holding a clipboard and brandishing a pen.

"You is the group going to the mouse park?"

Petunia knelt down to the elf's height, "Yes, though first we need to go to the Disneyland Hotel first to check in and get our rooms."

The elf nodded and made a notation on the form. The magicals were surprised by this; an elf knew how to read and write?

"Benny here wills be taking your bags to the hotel," the other elf waved, "I is being Tommy and I is being taking you to ho-tel lobby." With that, Tommy held out a length of rope and instructed the humans to hold onto a section.

After a quick sensation of a strong hug and seeing the world distort, the group arrived in the magical section of the Disneyland Hotel. Their bags arrived a moment later…

* * *

Once checked in and shown to their rooms, the very tired group decided to take a breather and just relax. Lily headed towards the bathroom to take a shower, James slyly suggesting that they share it. She merely rolled her eyes and gave an amused smirk in response but didn't say no.

"I'm glad the kids weren't here to witness that. They'd be faking some sort of sickness from your love-dovey byplay," Petunia drily commented as she went through some documents relating to their currency exchange.

James blew her a raspberry and scampered into the bathroom behind his giggling wife.

* * *

Vernon had taken the boys down to where the pool was located. They had their clothes transfigured into swim trunks by Lily and stampeded into the water like a rampaging mini herd of hippogriffs. Vernon took place on one of the lounge chairs and kept an eye on the two monsters.

He was about halfway through an article on the history of the park when a shadow appeared over his left shoulder. With a nonchalant air he commented that if anyone was planning on doing something stupid like pour water on him then said person wouldn't be allowed to go to the park.

A pair of disappointed groans greeted his comment.

* * *

"Hey, Severus? Have you ever heard of a jet-lag potion?" Remus inquired as he relaxed on his bed.

Severus looked away from the window he was peering out of, "No, I can't say that I have. Why? What sort of properties would it have?"

"How about the ability to adjust your internal clock to whatever the local time is? I'm exhausted."

Severus cocked his head in thought for a moment, "There's already a potion that does that. Different name though and can be found in just about any well-stocked apothecary."

Remus groaned and dropped his head back against the pillow, "Wide-eye potion?"

"Yup."

"Figures. Ok, nothing for it. I'm going to take a walk around the lobby. If I'm not back in say half an hour, I'll meet you all at the restaurant." With that declaration, he got up and headed out the door.

As he reached the doorknob, Severus asked, "Did you remember to pack your Wolfsbane pills?"

"Yeah, I brought two boxes worth. Why?"

"Just checking; the moon's going to be full on the 29th while we're still here."

* * *

Petunia waited for everyone to group up at the hotel lobby so they could decide what to do about dinner. She pulled out a list and directions to places nearby and reasonably priced. Vernon arrived a couple of minutes later with Harry and Dudley in tow, both boys were in an apparently serious discussion about the quality of water toys they used at the pool.

"So what's being planned, Pet?" Vernon asked as he slid into a seat.

"Just waiting for everyone else. What did you have in mind for dinner? I have a list of national chains. I was thinking of a sit-down type of restaurant as opposed to places like McDonald's."

Vernon nodded as he picked up and examined the list, "Do you have a menu from any of these places? I don't recognize any of the names." She handed over the flyers.

The appearance of the menus caught the boys' attention as well as they were being passed over. Lily, James and Severus arrived a couple of minutes later.

Petunia glanced at the group and frowned, "Where's Remus?"

"He said that he'd meet us at the restaurant if we didn't see him in about half an hour."

"No need to worry, I'm here now," the sound of Remus' voice caused everyone to turn around.

"Okay good. We're all here and I think that instead of eating here, I thought that we could pick a restaurant that was close by and reasonably priced," Petunia commented as she gestured to the list and flyers, "I'd also recommend that we don't get all fancy like since we're going to be here in America for a while and will get a chance to do that later."

James commented that a lot of these restaurants seemed to follow a trend and he'd go along with whatever the group wanted. Sirius wanted something quintessentially American. Severus was in agreement with James but didn't want to wait very long for the group to make a decision.

Vernon held up a flyer for the International House of Pancakes saying that this looked promising as there was apparently more than just pancakes that could be served there. With that rousing endorsement, the group rose from the table and trekked over to the restaurant.

* * *

**Potter Family America Trip: Day Two, Part One**

After rising at seven in the morning and getting an underwhelming continental breakfast in their stomachs; everyone got ready to head into the park for a day of fun and excitement. Harry and Dudley were busy examining the park map in great detail, making plans as to what they wanted to see first.

"I wanna see Adventureland first," Dudley declared, "The Jungle Cruise looks awesome!"

"I want to go to the shooting gallery!"

Round and round they went until Lily came over and said that they'd be starting at one end and working their way around.

"Awww! But I want to go to those places first!" Harry whined.

"Keep up that attitude and you can just stay here in the room," Lily retorted with a raised eyebrow.

Harry immediately backed off, "I'll be good." Dudley silently nodding along.

* * *

Tickets paid for and additional maps acquired, the group moved into the park proper. Excitement was already at record levels just from watching the monorail as it glided overhead. Even the adults were impressed!

Their first stop was the locker room where they struggled to find a couple that were large enough to hold their extra supplies and gear like their jackets and changes of clothes.

Sirius quietly commented that they could just used a space expanded bag he brought along for this very reason and save themselves the time and effort of trying to figure out the exchanges. Petunia frowned as that realization dawned on her. She slapped her palm to her forehead and groaned in exasperation. Smirking in bemusement, Sirius took everyone around a secluded corner and opened up his backpack. They loaded all their extraneous gear, glanced around to make sure they weren't being watched then headed back onto Main Street.

It was decided right off the bat that they should just window shop along Main Street so they wouldn't have to carry anything even if they were carrying Sirius' expanded bag. Harry and Dudley got in first saying they wanted to see Adventureland and go on the Jungle Cruise. Silent conversations between the adults in the form of glances and shrugs commenced before a wave of Petunia's hand gestured to the kids to lead the way.

With a triumphant yell, both boys led the group through the bamboo and grass archway.

* * *

The kids and the adults were in awe at the set decorations of just the station as they waited in line to board one of the boats. They loaded onto one of the boats, chattering all the way. A brief safety explanation of keeping your arms, head, bodies, feathers and whatnot within the gunwales and they were off. Their guide pointed out many different features of the cruise, his jokes, play on words and other innuendos were cracking up Sirius, Remus, James and the boys while Petunia, Lily, Severus and Vernon were groaning.

They traveled through the ride and saw a tribe of 'cannibals,' animals of all kinds and many kinds of ruins. They screamed when the hippos or the elephants got too close then laughed when their guide shot a pistol at the animals driving them back. They got to see the ill-fated explorers treed by a rhino and drive under a waterfall.

* * *

Next up was a sing-along animatronic show featuring the parrots of the South Pacific, the world famous Enchanted Tiki Room. The magicals amongst the group were stunned when they found out afterwards that the birds weren't actually enchanted but were really puppets driven by a computer and motors. This led to an impromptu explanation as to what a computer was. Even an hour later, Harry and Dudley were overheard singing the lyrics they remembered from the show.

After that was the Swiss Family Treehouse; Lily and Petunia let the males of the group take the lead on that one while they sat down on a bench and waited for them to return. The kids were in awe of what they saw and turned to their respective fathers. Both grinned back and promised that they'd investigate and see what was possible to recreate in their own treehouse when the trip ended.

Vernon gestured to James, "This is where the benefits of having access to a Pensieve comes in handy. No need to worry about cameras and such!"

* * *

Harry got his chance with the shooting gallery. The Big Game Safari Shooting Gallery was loud and chaotic but Harry just lapped it all up and begged for more. There wasn't any recoil on the guns, they merely made the noise of firing and if you lined up on the target and were reasonably sure of your aim, the target would make some sort of noise and action.

They reassembled at entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean. After reading the descriptive blurb about the ride, Harry and Dudley's eyes grew wide and the two began bouncing on their toes. Even Severus, the most laid back of the group was growing excited. They turned to stare at his rather exuberant, for him at least, display.

With cock of his head, wide eyes and a sardonic drawl he replied, "It's _pirates!_ What little kid didn't dream about fighting pirates?"

* * *

The air grew damp and the smell of water grew more and more present the closer the group reached the front of the line. The audio track of 'Dead Men Tell No Tales' tickled their ears and entranced their moods.

' _Oh my god, this is incredible! Another boat ride!'_ "Dudley, I hope we get to see pirates fighting and cannons blasting ships!"

Dudley was equally excited, "Right? Oh, I just remembered something Dad told Uncle James. He said that it's good that we, or rather you have a pensieve. We'll be able to watch this all over again or things we've missed the first time around!"

Harry's eyes couldn't have grown wider in his head! He spun around to face his family and squealed, "Everyone make sure that you're looking at every direction! Dudley said that Uncle Vernon talked to Dad about using the pensieve to see this ride later! Please!" He was bouncing on his toes again.

His mum chuckled, "We'll see what we can do, dear. Just remember, don't get too excited or you might cause a problem."

It took nearly all of Harry's willpower to keep from exploding right there. To distract him, Remus pointed out some interesting tidbits of historical knowledge about the real pirates of the Caribbean. Both kids were impressed with their uncle's knowledge and started peppering him with questions.

Once in the boat, the ride operator gave a brief safety instruction lesson before there was a clanking noise and the boat shot forward and began bobbing in the water. They were then led forward seemingly without a driver along a lazy river of sorts through some swampy territory. They heard loud croaks from frogs and saw the dancing lights from fireflies. Lily was heard commenting that the restaurant across the way looked interesting. Dudley turned around to ask his mother why they were in this part and where the pirates were.

"Not sure where they are, Dudley, but this is what's known as 'building the scene.' I'm sure that there's a story behind all of this and when we get back to the hotel, I'll see if I can look it up." Dudley nodded in acceptance and turned back.

Farther down the way, they could hear the twanging sounds of a banjos being lazily played. James was heard commenting to Remus that this particular section was rather calming. As they passed the shack with a figure rocking back and forth on a rocking chair, they began to hear an ominous voice whispering in the darkness. There illuminated above them was a talking skull and crossbones.

"There be pirates ahead! Dead men tell no tales!"

* * *

_**Later as they were exiting the ride…** _

"Yo ho! Yo ho! It's the pirate's life for me!" Sang/yelled Dudley and Harry as they scrambled ahead of the adults into the sunlight. Petunia and Lily managed to corral them all into a small seating area so the adults could catch their breath and to plan out where they would go next.

"That was _incredible!_ " Exclaimed Sirius with Severus and James nodding along, "I'm sure there was a whole backstory to the ride that the Americans must know by heart but…whew!" He lowered his voice, "I'm really impressed that the muggles are able to create all this…magic, without magic!"

James patted his friend on the shoulder, "Right? I would've sworn that those puppets I guess, were real actors in a play. The sounds, the lighting, the effects!"

Vernon laughed, "You sound like the kids." He glanced around and frowned, "Where _are_ the kids?"

Remus replied, "The women took them to the loo to wash their hands and faces. I think Lily had mentioned something about getting food."

_**End part one of Day 2.** _


	22. Chapter 22

**Part two of Day 2. Picks up after lunch at one of the restaurants in New Orleans Square.**

Remus knelt down in front of the two boys, "Now, I want to make sure you understand something. The next ride we go on will have references to ghosts yet there will be no actual ghosts like the ones back home. I want to make sure you understand that."

Harry scrunched up his nose, perplexed, "Uncle Remus, we know that this whole place is just make-believe. Why should the 'Haunted Mansion' be any different? I mean, we're not babies, Dudley and I know the difference."

Remus tilted his head a bit, "I know that, Harry. I just wanted to make sure because of the way I overheard you and Dudley speaking about trying to interact with the next ride."

Harry and Dudley scoffed at their uncle, "All he and I were going to do was make ghostly wails whenever we saw each other on the ride or in line."

The others had an amused look on their faces at Remus' chagrin. Standing up and dusting his hands off, Remus cleared his throat, "Well, ahem, I think that about covers it then… Shall we be off?"

* * *

Both Harry and Dudley had fun reading the funny epitaphs on the tombstones and other grave markers located on the berm as they waited in line to go inside. Lily and Severus were commenting on some of the shops they'd seen that bore a second pass through. Vernon was busy keeping an eye on the boys while simultaneously talking with James about some of the things that were going on back home in relation to Dumbledore.

Sirius joined the group just as they made the last turn to get onto the veranda, "Ah, good, just made it. Thanks guys. Line for the loo was almost as long as this was. So what are you and Vernon discussing?"

"Talking about what'd been going on with taking down Dumbledore. I just finished telling Vernon that the translations I did of the family grimoire regarding the Peverell Castle and its defenses were greatly appreciated by the Unspeakables. From what they told me, they hope to have the wards mapped out and will be ready for the attack sometime in August."

"I still don't understand why the Ministry doesn't have contacts within the RAF," Vernon lamented, "These wards you speak of sound like they're designed to keep out magical attacks right?" Both James and Sirius nodded uncertainly. "Well, to my mind, magic is just another form of energy so it should be a somewhat simple case of flying a plane over and dropping a bomb or a large lead weight with something inscribed onto them that would allow you to overload the capacity through sheer inertia and kinetic energy."

Sirius looked perplexed while James gave it some serious thought before bobbling his head a bit, "Possible. Just off the top of my head and based on what I know of the science involved, it _should_ work. Some kind of runic array inscribed on these bombs would probably keep it on track. Okay, when we get back to the hotel I'll send a letter to the Unspeakables outlining your idea."

Just then it was their turn to go inside. There was eerie music and a deep, ghostly voice spoke up, _"Welcome foolish mortals…"_

* * *

As they approached the tall and imposing edifice, Harry inexplicably held back and started trembling. Everyone looked at him in surprise given how excited he was just a moment ago. Lily knelt down to look him in the eyes and asked him what was wrong.

"I-I don't want to go in. I changed my mind. I don't want to be screamed at by the ghosts." He stammered as his courage faltered. Even Dudley was looking a bit apprehensive.

"Honey, those aren't real ghosts. Remember what Remus said? They're just make-believe. What changed your mind?"

Harry sniffled and turned his emerald green eyes on her, "I don't know. One moment I was all excited about going in and then I got really scared."

Lily glanced at her sister then at the gates, "Do you think that maybe someone was messing around and set up a ward or two aimed at kids to make them scared?"

Petunia shrugged at her sister and knelt down, "Remember that trick I showed you last night using the empty plastic container and the candle? That's similar to what we will see in there."

Sirius whispered that he and Remus would attempt to see if there were any such wards. The two men quietly pulled out their wands and began casting detection spells. Both came back shaking their heads negatively.

Just then they heard an unknown male voice interrupt, "Perhaps I could be of assistance?" They turned to see one of the cast members smiling understandingly at the group, "This is not the first time that a child got scared of the unknown within this attraction."

Harry wiped his nose on his sleeve and looked up at the man. Lily grimaced and surreptitiously waved her wand to vanish the mess.

"First off, my name is Kevin and I'm your host for this grand visit to Gracey Manor. Inside you will take a tour throughout the manor and its grounds and see some of the 999 other spooks and spectors as they spend their eternity in comfort and style. I understand that you don't want to be screamed at by the ghosts and I must apologize but there will only be one real instance of screaming and that is in the 'Stretching Room.' It will be brief and correspond to the lights shutting off suddenly but that will be about it. Nothing on this visit will jump out and grab you but merely pop up from behind tombstones, bookcases, portraits and the like."

Harry sniffled again and visibly shook himself to garner his internal strength, "Y-you promise?"

Kevin smiled warmly and nodded, "I promise. Also, if you're interested, there is a book that details how the illusions and effects were created by our talented effects team available in any of our gift shops."

Harry pursed his lips in a resemblance of determination, took his mother's hand and began walking up the stairs.

Kevin motioned to Sirius and Remus, "I saw what you did. I assure you that there are no wards. If you go back to the Square, there is a magical section attached to Club 33. Ask for the magically annotated version of the book I just mentioned."

Sirius and Remus looked back in shock at the man who merely smiled, winked and replied, "Ilvermorny, Class of 82."

* * *

The ride through the Haunted Mansion was in a word…"Phenomenal!" Everyone was raving and complimenting the people who managed to wonderfully recreate the effects of a ghost using muggle illusions, tell a fantastic story and make a spooky yet fun ride.

Harry in particular was bouncing up and down, begging to go back and ride it again.

"I can't believe I was so scared. It wasn't scary or anything!"

Dudley laughed, "You were scared in the Stretching Room, doofus."

Harry sneered at his cousin and stuck his tongue out at him, "Yeah, but not _now_ …"

"I'll tell you what, Harry," Lily began, "If there's time at the end of the day, we'll come back for another go, alright?"

That caused both boys to begin bouncing in excitement.

* * *

Their next stop was to take the ferry across the pond to get to Tom Sawyer's Island. Here, Lily and Petunia let the boys (and the adult boys) roam and explore while they found a nice shady spot to observe and chat. Nearly an hour later, they were rejoined by the others who all had something to share about their explorations.

Vernon plopped down on the bench and wiped his face down with a handkerchief and sighed, "Those kids have so much energy; I think we ought to just leave them here and go back to the hotel for a nap." The others chuckled at his declaration.

"So what's next?" Severus inquired as he too was mopping his brow, "Shops and stalls?"

"I was thinking of finding that magical Club 33 that guy at the Mansion was talking about. Surprised me to learn that he's a wizard as well," commented James. The others had similar looks of surprise on their faces.

"Well, I want to take another look at some of the shops within the Square," Petunia said with Lily agreeing with her, "So why don't we split up for a while and do that while the kids go for another ride through the Mansion?"

When they met back up, Vernon complimented the womenfolk that they didn't buy out the entire park during their sojourn through the shops and stalls.

Lily smirked evilly, "It turns out that you could pay for the things and have them shipped home. I imagine that there's going to be quite a few packages waiting for us when we get home." James mock-shivered at the thought but wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her lips to the groans and gagging sounds of the kids.

"So where next? Looking at the map, we have the option of seeing something called 'Critter Country' or heading off to Frontierland.

The kids immediately started clamoring for Frontierland. The adults glanced silently at each other as adults were somehow able to do this then gestured to their bouncing offspring to lead the way.

With a loud Viking-like yell, Harry and Dudley led the way.

* * *

As it turned out, Tom Sawyer's Island was in fact part of Frontierland though in hindsight, it should've been obvious. The line for Big Thunder Mountain was rather long so to pass the time; Severus took the chance to duck into one of the clothing stores back in New Orleans Square. When he returned, he was decked out in what appeared to be a pirate's outfit complete with boots, a tri-cone hat and eyepatch. The look of sheer happiness on his face and the over-the-top posing could've powered a dozen Patronus charms. James, Sirius and Remus burst out laughing at the sight of him only to be swatted into submission by the women who declared him to be 'swashbuckling' and 'dashing.'

Severus, in his defense, had stated prior that he'd always wanted to be a pirate when he was a kid and now was his chance to at least dress like one. The others continued to lightly tease him before finally getting within range of the loading ramp.

After that thrilling ride in which Petunia nearly lost her lunch and had to head for the nearest bathroom before finding a bench to rest on, the rest of the group sat down at the Mexican restaurant to plan out their next adventure. Based on the information within the map, some of the rides and attractions being closed for refurbishment and the fact that the boys looked like they were about ready to keel over from over-excitement; not to mention the fact that Petunia still looked a bit green around the gills, it was decided to ask one of the park employees if there was a resting area to cool their heels.

Remus glanced around, quietly cast a magic detection charm and was pleased to see that there was indeed a hidden zone not too far from where they were sitting. He got up and headed over to investigate before coming back and telling everyone that someone must have had a similar idea to theirs. Once inside the ward, they discovered a pleasant sort of day-hotel and spa where they could rest and recover before heading back into the park, itself.

* * *

The rest of their time in Disneyland was incredible. They spent several hours in each of the different lands. It was the decision of the adults to take a ride on the 'It's a Small World' ride though the men vehemently agreed afterwards that they should've just let the women and kids go. When they got to Tomorrowland, Petunia ended begging off of going on Space Mountain. Seeing how she…ahem, reacted to Big Thunder Mountain; it was agreed that she would wait outside with their hats and whatnot. When the group returned, it was evident that the ride was a little too intense for Dudley as he scurried off to the bathroom.

"How well did Harry hold up to the roller coaster, James?" Petunia inquired.

James grinned, "Future Quidditch player if his screams of delight and ability to keep his head and stomach are any indication. Big Thunder Mountain was the same thing. Shame about Dudley, I think it's just nerves."

They took a break for lunch at one of the restaurants to allow some relief to Dudley's stomach as well as a moment to plan out their last runs through. Lily thought it might be a good idea to take a nice, safe ride on the monorail then cut over to the Disneyland Railroad before heading back to the hotel.

* * *

Sirius took the time they had left to break away from the group and make contact with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement back home to see what the status of the plan to take down Dumbledore was and was informed that it was in the final planning stages. He relayed the suggestion from Vernon to see about including the RAF to bomb the wards. His contact was surprised and rather annoyed with himself that they'd not thought of that but would definitely pass it along.

"So how's your vacation amongst the muggles?"

Sirius grinned even though his contact couldn't see it, "It's been incredible. I've been totally blown away with how modern everything is and can't wait to come home so I can share our experiences with the department's pensieve. You all are going to just _love_ this place called Disneyland."

"I can't wait. What's the weather been like there? It's been raining for nearly two days nonstop."

"Clear and sunny with mid range temps. I'm thinking that maybe I ought to retire out here when the time comes. Plus, the local…wildlife… is just absolute heaven."

His friend laughed before letting Sirius know that he would contact him again if anything changed and also when the assault took place.

James looked up at his brother in name as he rejoined the group, "Everything okay?"

Sirius nodded, "Yeah, I was just getting an update on the planned 'excursion' to Peverell Castle." He was careful not to say anything that could be overheard in a negative manner.

"What'd they have to say about it?"

"Everything is progressing as planned and they should be ready to go by the end of the month," he motioned towards Vernon who'd been listening in, "I relayed your idea regarding the RAF and I could tell that it was an option they hadn't considered. My contact promised to send it along."

* * *

When they arrived back at the hotel, it was a tumult of tired children who were in desperate need of a shower and perhaps a nap for the adults. While Dudley was in taking his shower, Harry was digging through his bag in search of his journal to write down his experiences to both Hermione and Dean.

"Harry, don't get too involved with that right now. Dudley should be done soon and then you're in," Lily commented as she tousled his hair.

"Can I at least just write down my main points? I don't want to forget anything."

Lily smiled warmly at her thoughtful son before acquiescing, "Okay but _just_ the main points then it's into the shower with you."

The next morning the group assembled in the hotel's lounge to discuss where they wanted to head to next.

"I'm thinking that perhaps we ought to just head east and randomly pick things along the way," suggested Petunia with Lily agreeing.

"I want to see Las Vegas," Sirius quipped, "I've heard that there's a lot of great action, shows and legal gambling there. Plus there's a ton of touristy sort of things there too." He added that last part after receiving a glare from Lily.

Severus leant back in his seat, "I'm happy to go along with whatever is going to happen though I will admit to being kind of curious as to seeing the Grand Canyon."

Vernon asked if they were going to be renting a car or flying to their next destination.

"You mean like on brooms or in another airplane?" Remus asked.

"Airplanes. I seriously doubt that we'd be able to go cross this country on just brooms. It'd be tiresome on our bodies after a while not to mention that we'd risk detection."

"I want to ride a broom," Dudley whined.

"Don't whine Dudley, it's not nice and your father is right. This country is a lot bigger than back home."

"What about a portkey to each of our destinations?" Lily asked, "A car seems like it'd be too much of a hassle trying to get the kids to be good that long and another airplane ride just doesn't appeal to me for the same reason."

Petunia nodded and got up to make a call to her contact within the American Magical Ministry to see what their options were. When she came back, she relayed the information given to her that a portkey was in fact the preferred method of magical travel and the Americans had a novel solution to the spinning associated with long distance travel.

"It's actually something that we should bring up to our Department of Magical Transportation. The Americans use these pods to load the people into. There's no sensation of spinning or that squeezing through a narrow tube like you'd feel in apparition. The pods can hold up to twelve people which ought to be enough for us plus our bags. The cost is the same that an airplane ticket would be and is infinitely faster."

Lily was intrigued, "How do they negate the feeling of the spin?"

Petunia shrugged, "I don't know and I didn't ask. I'll give you the address to contact their transportation department later if you're still interested.

* * *

**Two weeks later at the Granger Residence…**

Hermione was sitting in her room listlessly gazing out her window and seriously wishing that she'd gone along with Harry and his family to America. Her family's annual trip to the mainland was nice but it was missing one thing… Harry. She missed his goofy ways and those gorgeous green eyes of his. She knew intellectually that they were both way too young for anything but still, she loved spending time with him in whatever adventure he had planned or stumbled across. The massive treehouse in his backyard was proof of that.

"Hermione! You got mail!" came the dulcet tones of her mother. Hermione bolted up and out of her room and thumped down the stairs. She slid to a halt in front of her mother and looked expectantly at her with wide eyes, panting slightly.

"My, someone's eager. Well, let's see who would send you mail…" Mrs. Granger could barely keep the smirk off her face while her husband had to duck out of the room momentarily.

"Mu-umm!" Hermione growled out, "This isn't nice. I've been waiting for a letter from Harry for a while now and you know it."

Emma Granger finally broke down and snorted her laughter before handing her daughter the letter from Harry. Hermione grabbed the thick envelope and dashed off back to her room.

Hermione plopped down on her bed and quickly tore open the envelope and pulled out the multiple pages of the letter and began to read.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope that your summer vacation is going good. Mum is helping me with the spelling and words as there's so much to put down that any and all help is appreciated. We flew to America in an actual airplane! It was loud and kind of cramped but I got to travel like a muggle and experience what it was like to travel as one of them. Mum says that muggles are just like you and I so I shouldn't refer to them like a weird version of another people like centaurs._

_Our first stop was Disneyland and boy was my mind scrambled! I'll show you the place in our pensieve when we get back home because there was so much that I would never be able to go over everything in a letter. We rode down a river and saw hippos and natives, toured through a really neat treehouse, saw pirates and a haunted mansion! We took a ride on several roller coasters, one of which made Aunt Petunia very sick. She's fine now but I loved them all! The park there was incredible, it's a shame that you couldn't go._

_Uncle Severus even got to dress up like a pirate! We got to ride in a submarine and saw all sorts of really cool creatures under the sea and then took a bobsled ride through a tall mountain. There was a yeti on the ride and it would leap out and try to grab you as the bobsled roared past!_

_After all that, Mum wanted something slow and safe so we got to take a ride on a train that traveled through a bunch of different points in time! I got to see dinosaurs! It was amazing; I really want to go back and see more and go on some of the other rides when I get taller._

_After Disneyland, we traveled east using the American's version of a portkey which uses a weird pod thing that does something that I really don't understand. I'm sure that Mum and Aunt Petunia could explain it better. We ended up in a city called, "Las Vegas."Mum says we nearly lost Uncle Sirius there though I don't know why. There were all sorts of things and places to go there as well. The casinos were full of noise and machines that only the adults were allowed to touch or even go into._

_Speaking of almost losing someone, we really did almost lose Uncle Remus! It turns out that there's some sort of werewolf colony in the State of Arkansas and according to Uncle Severus, have a method to make the inner wolf quiet on full moons. I don't know what that means really but from Uncle Remus' reactions, he may come here again sometime when we're back in school._

_The Grand Canyon was cool though to me, it was just a big ditch that stretched as far as the eye could see. Mum says that I'll appreciate it when I'm older. We're not going to be able to see most of what this country offers because it's so big and there's not enough time this summer._

_As of right now, we're in the State of Florida and we're going to be seeing the spaceflight center and museum. After this, Dad says that we're going to rent a car and see as much of the rest of the Eastern States as we can before we need to get our return flight._

_Dudley and everyone says, 'hi' and I hope that you're doing alright. I miss you and our sleep-overs and adventures in the backyard._

_Can't wait to see you again,_

_Harry_

Hermione finished the letter and let out a sigh as she flopped over onto her bed and cuddled the letter to her chest.


	23. Chapter 23

**1 September 1988: The perimeter ward line to Peverell Castle**

It was approaching midnight when six stealthy hunters moved into position outside the perimeter of an ancient castle, each aware of what was at stake. If an outsider were to see said hunters, they'd be confused as to why a panther, cheetah, lion, a large snake and an owl were seemingly taking orders from a wolf. What they wouldn't know was that those hunters were actually Animagi witches and wizards.

It was a clear night; the moon was full and cast a pale, bright light for the hunters to follow as they made their way across the rolling landscape. A slight breeze carried the scent of pine trees and the water from the nearby lake. They paused every so often to make sure they weren't spotted and to deal with the threat if it was detected. The wolf motioned with its nose and front paws the direction each of the others were to take and what their immediate objective was. The owl was to take to the sky to monitor the situation and to cry out if there were any hostiles nearby that could blow the operation. The others were to either incapacitate the guards or, if necessary, eliminate them. As for Pettigrew, the plan was to capture him alive for later interrogation. The plan for Dumbledore…well, he needed to be taken out of the equation as soon as possible. A live capture was not in his future…

The animal pack began to creep along the hillsides as they slowly and carefully approached the ancient castle and its outlier buildings. Everything was quiet, even the surrounding natural landscape. Just then, they could hear the low sounds of a couple of humans speaking to each other. Judging by the occasional bits of laughter, it would seem that the guards were taking it easy. After all, who would be out this late at night? The children were asleep, Pettigrew was in his office probably sleeping and who knew what the Master was up to.

The cheetah animagus was approaching his target point when the owl sounded off an alarm that there was a patrol approaching from the southwest. The animagus crouched low in the darkness and waited for the all clear signal. The guards themselves heard the owl but thought nothing of it. Owls were a common enough sight that most magicals never thought much of them outside of their usual duties as mail carriers. Soon enough, the patrol passed the cheetah and it resumed its mission.

At the prearranged signal, the hunters attacked the assembled guards and decimated them. They were expendable and there wasn't anyone available to watch over them while the team moved on. The ground was soaked in the first bloodshed for the coming battle. The snake slithered closer to the building and listened for any other sounds coming from inside. It rose up on its tail and peered into the window before retreating and shaking its head that the room within was empty. Nodding in acceptance, the wolf motioned for the others to proceed further into the compound.

* * *

_**Early the next morning, Unspeakable Briefing Room…** _

Unspeakable Section Leader Croaker glanced up from the After Action report given to him by the team lead of the strike team that assaulted Peverell Castle. The person in question stared back unresponsively, a sort of deadened look that spoke of untold horrors that had been seen and hard to shake afterwards.

Croaker nodded to himself, _'He's going to need to see a mind healer after this.'_

"So walk me through it again, Talon. Skip to the part after the outer guards had been neutralized, though."

The quiet Unspeakable in front of him shuddered out of his introspection and took a deep breath, "We breached the side servant's door just as we had planned. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Two more guards were dispatched cleanly and quietly as they were coming out of the kitchen and the room was secured. There were a couple of patrols that were dealt with."

Croaker made note of that on the report in front of him then motioned for him to continue.

"We found Pettigrew's office and captured him without a fight. Well, I say it wasn't a fight; he did struggle a bit after we blew his door open. I think it was more from surprise than actual resistance. Once he realized who we were and I guess figured out why we were there, he stopped struggling and pointed out where critical information was stored."

"Surprising but it does fall in line with what we'd been told. Go on."

The man nodded and drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, "We performed a brief interrogation of Pettigrew on the spot to determine if there had been any changes to the castle layout and the last known complement of guards, the kids and where Dumbledore was. He was very forthcoming about it all yet was adamant that we promise that once everything was secure, he be given one last request."

Croaker must have looked surprised because the team lead chuckled, "Yeah. That was our reaction too."

"What did he want?"

The man grunted, "A trip through the Veil. Said he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban and that after all he'd witnessed and been forced to participate in, he said he'd earned the trip."

Croaker grunted, "Not up to us but go on."

"Yes, sir. As I reported there, we found the children. What was left of them… It, it was horrible. There were only two children, a boy and a girl, left alive and I think that was because they were in an isolation box as a punishment for some infraction. The rest… Merlin, it still gets to me." He trailed off into silence once more. "There were three children in these liquid filled tanks and had all these tubes and wires attached to their heads. As near as we could figure, Dumbledore was experimenting with how to extract the magical essence out of a person. The children, only one was still breathing; it resembled a Dementor's Kiss."

Croaker gave him a few more seconds, made a call to have the mind healer on the ready then prodded him into telling him what happened with Dumbledore.

"We breached the door to his inner study. That's where Pettigrew said he would be and where he performed his more gruesome experiments. It was like a torture chamber rather than your classic 'study.' The room was silent as a tomb. We found evidence of the remainder of the children that had been selected for study. There were a couple of nearly complete bodies and a couple of body parts. None of the children were alive, thankfully. Unspeakable Slither scouted around and discovered the old man's bedroom where he was abed, snoring away. We set up the ritual circle and dropped the charged block of amber onto his chest. He woke up, either from our quiet chanting or from the sensation of the amber falling on his chest but before he could make a sound; he was sucked up into the amber. We secured the block in a strongbox and secured the room."

Croaker nodded thoughtfully and thanked the man for his report and efforts then directed him to see the department's resident mind healer immediately. Once the team leader had left, Croaker slumped back into his chair and closed his eyes.

* * *

_**The next day…** _

James and Lily Potter along with Sirius, Remus and Severus were sitting around in a nondescript office wondering what the heck was going on. The summons to make haste to this location within the Ministry had come as a bit of a shock and a lot of confusion. There was a gentle knock on the door so Lily got up to answer it, and found Petunia looking down at a scrap of paper.

"Petunia?" Petunia's head snapped up and her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Lily? What are you doing here? I was here at the urgent request of one of the Unspeakables."

Lily backed up and gestured for her sister to enter, "Same here, apparently. Come on in and make yourself comfortable. I have no idea how much longer we have to wait."

The door opened again rather swiftly and an Unspeakable entered, "That would be now, Mrs. Potter."

The Unspeakable sat down in one of the chairs facing the others and began without preamble, "I am here to inform you that the operation to apprehend Peter Pettigrew and Albus Dumbledore has been a complete success. Both were captured and the only losses were on their side."

James leant forward, "There was no one from your side that was lost?"

The Unspeakable shook their head, "The team sent in made a surgical strike; a small group of Unspeakables that were able to slip in unnoticed. The other side however took heavy losses; the guards surrounding the compound were incapacitated and either killed outright if they fought back or merely stunned if caught unawares. Mr. Pettigrew, surprisingly, was aware of our infiltration and yet made no effort to defend himself. He's been most cooperative in deciphering the organization of Dumbledore's grand plans and whatnot."

Both Lily and Petunia were pale as the Unspeakable began rattling off the details of the battle. Lily cleared her throat and asked about the children that were there. The Unspeakable paused and took a deep breath.

"There's no easy way to say this but all but two were killed. It was rather gruesome and I'd rather not say anything more about those details. It's not easy to hear and frankly, even I'm put off about it."

* * *

"So what happened with Dumbledore," Remus asked to dispel the heavy silence.

"He was captured and encased in enchanted amber. He will be put under heavy guard and dealt with once all the rest of the data has been collected."

Severus looked pensive then raised his hand briefly, "Just what _was_ Dumbledore's grand plan?"

The Unspeakable gave him a long look before glancing at the others and sighed, "He had these grand dreams of ruling over the wizarding world as well as the muggle. If you ever paid attention in History class, you might remember that Gellert Grindelwald had a similar dream. Whereas Grindelwald tried to accomplish said dream through war and death; Albus went the other route through subtle manipulation of the minds of the populace and its children. As an educator who had the children of the nation separated from their parents for nearly nine months of the year; he could slowly and subtly influence their way of thinking, no one would ever try to say anything bad against him. Then on the political side, he could influence their parents and guardians much in the same way. A suggestion here, an introduction there and before anyone would be aware of it and could no longer do anything to prevent it, Albus would be the most powerful person in our world."

* * *

James shook his head at the whole thing and about Peter as well, "I'm not surprised that you were able to get information out of Peter. He always was the weak link in our group before he drifted away. Didn't Dumbledore demand a fealty oath or something to protect his secrets?"

The Unspeakable chuckled for a moment, "Yes, he did though Mr. Pettigrew was rather cunning about how to get around it. He told us that he swore on his magic that he would protect Albus' secrets. We thought we were at an impasse for a moment before Mr. Pettigrew then let a small smirk grow on his face. He said it again slowly and it was only then that we caught on. As of right now, Mr. Pettigrew is no more magical than a Squib. He asked that for his penance after he gave up all the information and memories, he wished to be sent through the Veil of Death. He didn't want to linger through a lengthy stay in Azkaban."

James sniffed sadly at the loss of his one-time childhood friend's magic, "So what happens now?"

The Unspeakable leaned back in his seat, "Now, you go home and raise your family. It's over."

* * *

_**Back at Potter Manor…** _

Nothing more was said by the adults as they flooed home to Potter Manor. Petunia took the day off and went home to be with her family. Lily went in search of Harry and found him and his friends doing who-knew-what in the greenhouse. She didn't try to interfere but just sat on a stool and watched as he interacted and played with Neville, Hermione and Susan.

"Harry? Where's Luna?"

The kids each made a slight grimace before Harry replied, "She, uh, went to go visit some sort of creature she swore was living within the banana tree."

Lily shook her head and sighed. _'Someone needs to get that girl into counseling.'_ "Luna? Luna! Come back to the main group, please."

There was a rustling of leaves and a dirty blonde haired waif of a girl stepped out with a creature of some sort perched on her shoulder.

Lily tilted her head in bemusement, "What do you have there, dear?"

Luna tilted her head dreamily, "It's a Bananawama and his name is Tony."

Harry and the others just groaned.

"Tony? Bananawama?" Lily repeated bemusedly, "Honey, that's a squirrel."

Luna turned her head to peer at the small bushy-tailed creature and pursed her lips, "Huh, I guess that's possible too." She shrugged and skipped over to the door and let the squirrel scamper off her shoulder and out to the backyard.

* * *

Later as the Potters were eating their dinner, Harry finally asked his parents what had them down in the dumps.

Setting her utensils down, Lily looked at her son, "You remember what Dean went through before he found his way to us?" Harry nodded hesitantly. "Well, some special people went back to try and rescue his friends. There's no really easy way to say this but most of the kids were killed as those special people fought the other adults that were holding the children captive."

Harry looked sad at that, "What about those bad people? Were they killed too?"

"Some were," James replied, "Some were captured so they could explain themselves and what their leader was trying to accomplish. The reason we're so quiet is that one of the bad people was a friend of ours from when we were in school before he fell to the dark side. We're mourning the memory of what he used to be like."

* * *

_**Two years later…** _

After a lengthy investigation into the inner workings of Albus Dumbledore and his plans for world domination, the results weren't pretty. The magical and physical experiments performed on the children smacked of some of the gruesome tests last seen by the evil and deranged Nazi, Josef Mengele during the Second World War. It was stunning to think that the mental image Dumbledore had portrayed of an elder statesman and sort of benevolent grandfather before the end of the First Blood War was nothing more than a veneer. The monster beneath was nightmare inducing…

The two surviving children from the castle were found to be catatonic and placed within the long-term care ward in Saint Mungo's. From the reports of the Healers, their prospects weren't looking too good.

Peter Pettigrew had gotten his wish and was sent through the Veil of Death once every scrap of information and knowledge was handed over to the research and forensics teams. His execution was observed by the Marauder adults as well as a couple of Unspeakables and the Minister. His final words before passing through were, "I'm sorry."

Harry was once again in the spotlight. Granted it was a non-public sort of spotlight but for all intents and purposes, there were an awful lot of people who were keen on watching his every move. He'd been told that there had been a prophecy made about him and his parents and that his job would be to send the block of amber containing the body and soul of Albus Dumbledore, the man who had caused so much pain and anguish to so many, through the Veil of Death and therefore be the one responsible for ending the prophecy.

He examined the block of amber and could just make out the angry and frozen image of an old and scarred man in one of the facets of the amber. He shook his head that someone who was so revered could fall so hard. He shook his head to clear his morbid thoughts and with an underhanded windup, pitched the block through the archway.

It did not appear on the other side.

* * *

**Saturday 20 July 1991 Potter Manor**

It was the summer before Harry's approaching first year at Hogwarts and all were practically vibrating with anticipation. The kids were looking forward to seeing the castle and getting to learn at the venerable school while the adults were looking forward to a manor without the kids constantly underfoot.

As part of a brainstorm on how to keep everyone occupied, Severus had suggested a sort of competition to test the kids' knowledge of the various subjects that they'd encounter at Hogwarts. All the subjects were going to be tested; from Astronomy to Zoology.

Harry stood at the ready in his Uncle Severus' laboratory and waited for his final instructions. Today's challenge would be in Potions of course and this time he wanted to be able to beat Hermione from her top spot. The girl had amazed everyone that she came into contact with in her ability to absorb information like a sponge then to turn around and use it creatively and in ways that astounded belief. Neville too, was a right genius when it came to the plants used in their potions. It was no surprise that he would do just as well at the brewing though he did have a bit of nervous habit of freezing up if he made a mistake. Dudley was busy studying his notes he'd made in his journal. Dean sat at his spot, nervously picking at the corner of his thumbnail. Despite the time he'd spent getting used to his new family and the freedoms he'd gained after his escape, there were still moments where his old insecurities would rise up.

At the sound of a throat being cleared, Harry was pulled from his introspection and focused himself back to the task at hand. Before him was a recipe for a rather complicated brew. In it he knew, were several mistakes or omissions. He was tasked to correct the mistakes then brew the proper recipe. Points were given on creative solutions yet were taken away if anything dangerous happened or if he failed to find all the problems. He sighed internally and wished that he could've prepared a little more beforehand but according to Uncle Severus, he might not always be in a safe and secure laboratory where he could take his time to figure out the problem. He might become a Casualty Healer at Saint Mungo's and need to be able to think on his feet at a split second.

* * *

One hour later and the challenge was called 'completed' by Severus. He collected the paperwork from all the children and directed them to their brewing stations to begin the next phase. Harry scrambled to get to the ingredients cabinet before Hermione despite Severus' admonishment to not run in the room.

As the children were brewing, Severus began marking their test papers. He grimaced at the chicken scratch that would ever be known as Harry's 'writing.' No matter how many times he was given instruction into the proper usage of a quill, the boy just could not or would not follow them.

' _I'm wondering if maybe I could convince Minerva to allow the students to write with pens instead of quills. It's been proven that even Harry can write legibly when given a pen. I'll have to remember to bring it up at the next family meeting.'_

* * *

At the end of their session, Harry sat back and watched with quiet amusement as Hermione performed her usual post-test routine of apprehensively fretting about her performance despite knowing full well that she did her best. He glanced over at Neville and Dudley who were also watching their best female friend flutter around the room muttering to herself. Dean had left a moment earlier to use the bathroom.

"Never fails, does it Nev?"

"Nope. Hilarious to watch though."

"Think she'll ever grow out of it?"

"Nope." All three boys said simultaneously and chuckled.

Hermione paused long enough to glare at the two boys before huffing and turning back to her notes again.

* * *

Severus appeared in the doorway and congratulated all present for their excellent work and results from their recent test.

"If I were to grade this; Harry, Dudley? You both would've gotten an Exceeds Expectation. Neville, Dean, an Outstanding. Hermione? You would've gotten an Acceptable…"

The silence was deafening. All present were stunned that Hermione did so poorly before Harry took a closer look at his uncle's face and noticed the twitching in the corner of his mouth. He nudged Neville and Dean who caught on and worked hard to suppress a snort of laughter; Dudley a moment later.

Finally she got the joke and groaned which caused the others to let loose with their barely suppressed laughter.

"Uncle Severus! That was mean. What did I really get?" Hermione huffed at the man.

Severus grinned, "You got an Outstanding like usual, Hermione."

She crossed her arms across her chest and grumbled under her breath about people with poor tastes in humor.

* * *

All in all, the five kids did really well in their magical education competition. Remus handled their History section, Lily handled Charms. Sirius covered DADA while James took Transfiguration; the rest of the subjects were a group effort. The winner that year was a surprise; it was Neville who managed to squeak by with a single point higher than even Hermione who was the usual winner. As a reward for winning, the victor got to choose the summer destination for vacation.

"Let me guess," Harry mused, "We're going to the Royal Conservatory again." Neville shook his head and smirked.

"We're going to a museum?" Again with the head shake.

"We're going to a monster car rally?" Dudley pleaded; he'd gotten interested in that when they were on their trip across America.

Neville scrunched his face up in derision, "No, Dudley."

Hermione threw up her hands in defeat, "Then _where_ are we going?"

Neville beamed, "Alton Towers! There's a new roller coaster I've seen advertised.

* * *

Their trip to Alton Towers was a lot of fun. They did get to go on the new roller coaster, The Thunder Looper, multiple times. Each time it was with a different arrangement of kids. At first it was Neville, Harry and Dudley then it was Dudley, Dean and Harry. The kids managed to convince their fathers to go on the ride, Vernon only taking one trip before declaring himself done and went to go find a nice, stable, nonmoving bench. Hermione decided at the last minute that she changed her mind about going on the coaster and held back. Harry wanted to tease her about it but held off after seeing the look of terror on her face.

Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he pulled her into a comforting hug.

"Don't worry, Hermione. If you don't want to go on the coaster, you don't have to. Would you rather try something else?" He felt her bushy hair rustle against his face as she nodded.

"I want to go miniature golfing," she replied. Vernon was agreeable to that; his face still tinged a bit green.

* * *

Three days before Harry's eleventh birthday, he received his Letter of Acceptance to Hogwarts. The Potters and the Marauders along with the Longbottoms, Dursleys, Thomas' and Grangers arrived at the Leaky Cauldron in a tsunami of chattering children and grumbling adults. Those who needed to exchange currencies stopped off at Gringott's while the rest began spreading out through the various stores and alleys to purchase the needed supplies. Severus made it his personal mission to assemble the best potions kit for Harry and his friends stating that the new Potions Master at Hogwarts would most likely be demanding and exacting. It would not do to be found wanting.

"A new Potions Master?" Harry asked his uncle, "I thought it was Slughorn?"

Lily shook her head, "He's retiring so you get someone fresh to work with." She said that with a twinkle in her eye that Dudley caught.

"What do you know, Aunt Lily?"

Lily smirked and dismissively waved her hand, "I know a lot of things. Some of which I won't tell you." Dudley scrunched his nose in mock disappointment.

* * *

**Sunday 1 September 1991 King's Cross Station**

King's Cross Station was always busy, day and night. That wasn't anything unusual. What _did_ make it unusual at least to the station employees was the arrival of strangely dressed people every start of September. Children wearing robes and pushing trolleys loaded with their trunks and the occasional animal in a cage; they'd all arrive at the boundary between platforms nine and ten then suddenly vanish from sight. The old-timer employees would just shake their heads at the unexplainable events and chuckle at the looks on the younger and newer station attendants' faces.

* * *

As was usual for Harry, he shot out of the Floo with all the grace of a anvil falling from the back of a truck. He bounced back up to his feet with nary a complaint though it was to the bemusement and chuckling of his friends and anyone else who observed this travesty of magical transportation.

"I just don't get it, Harry. You're incredibly talented on a broom but everything else hates you," muttered Hermione after she daintily stepped out of the floo and dusted herself off.

Harry just shrugged his shoulders and readjusted his trunk on the trolley.

"Harry?" he turned to his father's call, "did you remember to send Hedwig on ahead this morning?" James was referring to Harry's new snowy white post owl.

"Yup, first thing this morning after breakfast. She should be arriving soon." James nodded his understanding.

"Okay kids! Time to get your stuff loaded on board."

As they were loaded on board, Lily fussed over Harry, embarrassing him a bit.

"Mu-um!" he complained as he pushed her hand off of his head where she was trying in vain to smooth down his hair, "You're embarrassing me!"

"But this is the last chance I'll get for nearly three months to do so! My baby is going off to Hogwarts!" she said that last part as a mock wail. Harry groaned and rolled his eyes while Neville laughed his head off.

Dudley stood next to his parents and sniffed quietly, "I want to go with them, Mum. I want to go to Hogwarts too."

Petunia put her arm around her son's shoulders, "I know, Dudley. But you also know the rules. But listen, you'll get to follow in a similar path that I took. You can learn all of the same magic at home just like I did and with all the modern conveniences that Harry and the others won't be able to have. Just because you live and study at home doesn't make you any less of a wizard than them."

With that realization, Dudley slowly nodded and smiled happily as he waved to his cousin as the train blew its whistle and slowly chuffed its way out of the station.

**End Book 2.**


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